Who is the Victim Here
by christyzachman
Summary: Hotch is kidnapped, but he wasn't the intended target - A sequel to Going Home
1. Where is Hotch?

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter One. **

**Friday night before a three day holiday weekend**

The man stood just across the street from the FBI headquarters in Quantico Virginia. He had been standing there for several hours waiting for him to come out. He wasn't completely sure what he looked like, his description was about six foot with brown hair and an average build. Finally he saw two people leave that fit the description completely but which one was he. They separated at the door one heading left, the other right. The man followed the one going left. He got close and flexed his hands around the syringe. Walking fast he stuck the needle and pressed the plunger into the man walking to his car. The man grabbed him just before he fell and opened the door to the car. He stuffed him in and got into the driver's side and drove away.

**Tuesday after the holiday**

She placed the bag on the floor and noticed the package in front of her door, picking it up she went into the building. Calling out, "Susan, I'm home". She put the package on the hall table and went to her bedroom to put her bag away. After unpacking she went to her office and listened to her voice mails and checked out the clients who would be coming by today. It wasn't until after 1:00 pm when she remembered the package and went to get it. She opens and reads the note. _I have your brother_. There was no signature. She goes pale and yells, "Susan, get me a ticket to Virginia".

Susan replies, "Virginia?"

"Quantico, Virginia and get me there as fast as possible. Cancel all my appointments for the next few weeks."

"Yes, Ma'am"

She heads back to her bedroom and packs her bag again. Heading back to the office, she takes the dvd that was also in the package. To herself, she says "I'll look at this when I get to the BAU." Walking out she yells, "Susan!"

"You have tickets on the next plane out of La Guardia, it leaves at 3:00."

"Great, I will call you when I get to Virginia." She kisses Susan and heads out the door.

**The BAU unit in Quantico Virginia**

Tuesday

J. J. looks up and sees Morgan coming through the door with Prentiss just after him. She says "hi, did you have a good weekend?"

Morgan answers, "Just heavenly, had this beautiful fox in my arms and she just made the days fly by."

Prentiss responds, "You are just the ladies man, aren't you? I had a quiet weekend with James and we spent the night on a ship going through the cape. It was a good weekend. What did you do JJ?

JJ replies that she spent it with Henry and Will.

Reid walks up and the team continues to talk about the weekend. What they haven't noticed yet is that neither Rossi nor Hotch have arrived. It was most unusual for these two to arrive later than anyone else. But the members of the unit get to their desks and work on the many files that need profiling reports.

David arrives just after noon and notices that Hotch's door was still closed and no one was working there. Although, he wasn't concerned because Hotch would often be in a meeting with the section chief or somewhere else in the bureau. He got to work and didn't seem too concerned about his missing boss, believing that he would show up soon.

At 5:00 pm, she comes walking into the BAU unit of the FBI building in Quantico, looking around she tries to find the man she is looking for, failing that she calls out, "Can someone help me, please." Morgan looks up and walks toward answering, "What can we do?"

She looks at this handsome black man and says, "My brother is missing."

"Okay, well why don't you come and sit here and we can get some information."

"Angie?"

She looks behind and up at where the voice comes from. With a look of extreme relief and joy, she walks to the steps and goes to grab David Rossi. He looks at her with concern and bemusement, "Why are you here?"

"I got a note that said they had you."

"Nobody has me."

"I see that. Oh, thank God you are okay."

"Let me see the note."

She pulls the note out of her purse and hands it to him. "It says my brother; you are the only one I have now".

"It isn't me. But let me check it out, okay."

"Yes, um, I got a DVD as well and I thought that I would wait to watch it when I got here." She hands him the dvd.

He takes her into his office and they take a look at the dvd. What they see sickens them as David realizes that the kidnappers have Aaron Hotchner and think it is him.

"Who is that, David?"

"That's my boss, Aaron."

She pales at that and realizes they have the wrong man. "They think that's you."

As they watch the video, they see a man, naked and in chains. He is on his hands and knees on a bed with his head bent down in degradation. Another man in leather and wearing a mask was standing next to the bed. Wielding a whip, he slashes at the man on the bed, who bucks from the pain. Angie turns her head when he gets on the bed and rapes him. She hears the screams and David turns the sound off to block it. When the rapist stops he looks at the camera and says that's just a start. David turns it off.

"Angie, this isn't your fault."

"Not my …, he thinks that's you and sent it to me. Do you remember what this week this? This is the worst week of the year for me. It will ten years since Steven and twenty since… This person knows and now wants you. Don't tell me that this isn't personal. It can only be that." She breaks into tears. "I can't lose you too. You are all I have."

David takes her into his arms and kisses her on her head. "I am here, he doesn't have me and you will not lose me." She looks up and sighs. "I need to get the team together, we need to find Hotch."

"Yes and I will do everything I can to help."

**Meanwhile a few days earlier**

Hotch was brought by vehicle to an underground bunker, he was stripped and placed on a bed. The bed was in the center of the room. There were no windows, the walls were rocky and it appeared to be decorated as a medieval dungeon. There are chains hanging from the ceiling and a cage alongside the wall with a soft pink blanket on the wall and soft blankets on the floor of the cage. Hotch began to waken to a chill in the air, he was cold and tried to pull on his jacket to discover it wasn't there. He reached and felt his body without any coverings on at all, opening his eyes, which were sore and blurry he looked around at this dark room with chains, iron and weapons in different areas around the room. On the wall in front of him was a wall of whips and maces. There were knives and sharpened axes along the edges of one wall with riding crops and cat of nine tails around them. The room looked like the room of the Marquis DeSade, a man who was definitely into BDSM.

Hotch noticed he was connected to the bed by chains and rings around his wrists. He reached up as much as he could to feel the metal ring around his neck; it too was attached to a chain which hung from the ceiling. He hears a sound coming from the only door in the room and closes his eyes to pretend to still be asleep.

The man came and noticed the person on the bed, but is he awake yet? He wants him awake and so throws a bucket of cold water at him. Hotch sputters and shivers as the water goes over him and opens his eyes to look at the man. The man was wearing a pair of regular denim jeans and a t-shirt with a leather coat on. He had a mask of leather over his face and a leather cap, in his hands was a leather whip about 4 feet long, it split into three at its end. Hotch looks at the whip and then the man and asks "who are you and what do you want of me?"

In answer the man snaps the whip and it hits the naked man on the back, he bucks in pain but makes no sound. Hotch is stronger than that, he's been whipped before. The man continues to whip Hotch until blood begins to seep down his arms. He then pours another bucket of cold saltwater on the naked man. Releasing the chains from the bed and ceiling he pulls the man and causes him to crawl on his hands and knees to the open cage. Hotch looks at the cage and attempts to hang back; he is not going in there. But the man holding the chains whips him again and forces him into the cage. He locks it and leaves the room. Hotch crawls around the cage and attempts to get comfortable while ignoring the pain in his back and the coldness that is seeping through the bars of the cage. He sits and contemplates the situation all the while wondering why this happened and who that man was.


	2. Angie

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Two. **

BAU Headquarters

Extremely Early Wednesday Morning

In the Round room, our agents are watching a DVD that shows their boss, Aaron Hotchner, being beaten with a whip, anally raped, starved and spanked with large paddles. He is tortured while chained up and then forced into a cage naked and bleeding from different areas of his body. The scene appears to be taped and is timed so they know at what time this is happening to their leader. So far he appears to fighting it and is not appearing that he suffering something that he cannot survive. But there is no knowing how he truly is feeling emotionally during this degradation. One of the most degrading is when he is told that if he wanted something to drink he needed to get from the nipples that popped through the pink blanket on the wall. He was to drink as if he was a baby animal getting it from its mama. He refused and has not at any time had anything to drink or eat since the torture began. The unsub began to call the man a baby puppy as he walked him around on his hands and knees in the room going from the bed to the cage and back again.

Garcia finally says, "Please turn it off, we know what he is doing to him, do we actually have to see it?"

JJ turns the machine off that is showing their boss. She feels the same as Garcia; do they really have to continue watching this happening to their boss?

Morgan says, "Do we really know that this is happening and it is not a cruel jest? Have we checked out where Hotch is?"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of him by phone, home or cell. They aren't turned off and I want you Garcia to see if you can't triangulate where the cell phone is. I don't think Hotch has it anymore but it might be a clue as to where he may have been taken. We need to analyze the room that he is in to see if there might other clues that might tell us where he is. Any ambient noises or lighting effects, Garcia and Spencer can analyze the DVD," replied Rossi.

Prentiss speaks and says, "I don't understand why would someone do this, I am going to check the past cases to see if there is someone who could fit into this type of torture. Who would do something like this to a person? Do we know someone this sadistic?"

"How many people do know who are into Bondage, Dominance, Sadism and Masochism? There are people who would pay to do this to someone else and there are people who would pay to have it done to them." The agents look behind them at the unknown voice.

"Do we know you?" asks Morgan.

"You don't, but I know you Agent Morgan."

"I said you could stay only if you didn't comment, "Says Rossi to the woman.

"She asked if you knew someone that sadistic, should I answer that with a no."

"I know that you deal in that world now, Angie, but I am sure this has nothing to do with that world."

"How do you know that? The DVD was mailed to me and the note was sent to me and threatened you, not your boss. So who is the real victim here? The one on the screen being tortured because of why, they think they have you and they are torturing you. They don't know that they have the wrong man. So when you do your victimology, I believe is what you call it, who are you going to profile, the mistaken man on the screen or you?" He looks at her.

"She's right Rossi, who do we profile for victimology?" says Derek.

"Right now we are going to focus on where Hotch is not on the unsub, "says Rossi.

"Coward, you know to find him you need to know the unsub, which is what is you do, create a profile? I would like to see what you do. You have written to me about your people, your cases and I have read your books; show me what you actually do." She leans back into her chair with a challenging look on her face.

Morgan responds, "Who are you?" She just smiles enigmatically.

Rossi looks at her and says, "Okay, Angie, you want it that way. Why did they send you the DVD and the note?"

She shrugs and says, "I don't know. Why should they send me a note saying they had you with a DVD of them torturing your boss?"

Spencer speaks up and says, "Wait there is a note that came with this. Why weren't we told that before? Where is the note?"

Rossi looks at her angrily and gives the note to Spencer, who reads it aloud, "I have your brother."

Prentiss says, "She's your sister Rossi."

"No, she is not my sister, "he answers, "at least not biologically." He seems to be struggling in his own way of describing what Angie is to him.

She says, "He's my brother, but I am not his sister."

Morgan says, "Okay, now you are really scaring me lady, what do you mean by that?"

"I consider him my brother, he was my real brother's best friend growing up and I have known him for more than forty years and I look at him as family. I told him that he shouldn't marry his ex-wives but he doesn't listen to me."

"That is none of their business Angie."

"Isn't it? Why would they kidnap your boss and then send me a note stating that it was you with a DVD of him? I didn't come here because of him. I came because I thought they had you. I don't know him except for what you have written to me in the past. It doesn't impress me that much. You know how much I like men."

"You don't."

"My point exactly, the fact is the man on that screen means very little to me and it I hadn't been sent the note, I wouldn't be here and you wouldn't have that DVD of him. So, who is the victim here?"

"Hotch is the victim, not me and that is who we need to find."

"So, how are you going to do that?"

Spencer says, "I'd like to know more about Angie."

She smiled at the young profiler like Sylvester Cat looking at Tweety Bird and imaging him on a spit turning around. She says, "What would you like to know little one."

He answers, "Well, we just learned your relationship to Rossi but how do you know so about the unsub and the world he is part of?"

"I don't know anything about the unsub. As for the world, it is my job. I teach women how to discipline their men."

David responds, "You have only been doing that for the past six years, before then you were a Psychiatrist who specialized in trauma victims."

"Yes dear, that is I what I did until I got tired."

Prentiss asked. "What do mean you got tired?" Angie looks at her.

"I got tired of listening to women whine about how their men beat them up, hurt them and control what they do. I decided it was time to teach the women how to control their own lives. As for me being part of the world of dominance, I have been a part of that world for more than twenty years. I just didn't make it my career before six years ago."

JJ stops them when she says, "We have sitting here watching this DVD and now discussing who the victim is for more than ten hours. It is Wednesday morning and the sun will up soon, we need to have a plan of how to find Hotch. Angie, you say that you don't know the unsub. He doesn't look familiar to you at all?"

"No, I am sorry; he does not look familiar to me." The DVD is still running even though no one is currently watching it, Garcia is listening to it over her headphones. She thinks she can handle it better just to listen rather than watch what is happening to beloved boss man. Of course, she doesn't hear anything special and is working at washing the sound through her many filters, but so far it is as if they are in a true dungeon which is underground and it would be deathly silent if the man did not speak or Hotch did not scream from the pain being inflicted by the man. She is using body and attempting facial recognition software to get any idea about the man, such as physical dimensions, any special type of feature that they can find to distinguish him.

Rossi asks, "Angie is there someone that specializes in the torture that Hotch is going through right now?"

She answers, "Hundreds, I couldn't be able to break it down further without knowing more about the dungeon and weapons that he is using. I mean there are thousands of different types of whips and chains and dominating items. Unless you know what he is using and I can't help on that." She looks up at the screen and is puzzled because it looks different. She goes up to the plasma and explores further at close range and wonders what is it? What seems different? She looks at the room that Hotch is in and notices the type of bed, the way it is situated and makes a realization but finds it hard to believe that it could actually be. She turns around.

She says, "David, this dungeon looks exactly like mine except for the cage. I don't use cages and that is one thing I am firm about. Humans do not belong in cages. But this is an exact copy of the dungeon that I designed and set up in my basement at home."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Perfectly."

This is an important thing to know but it is what she discovers in a few minutes that will shock our agents to their core.


	3. Wednesday

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Three.**

BAU Headquarters

Wednesday morning

Morgan asks, "Do you remember where you might have purchased the bed and accessories. If they are using the same items, it could help narrow down the suspects. If they bought at the same place, there might be a record of the purchase."

Angie reply is, "I don't think it would help, I designed it and had it built in place by a regular carpenter. I do have him still in my QuickBooks account. Where is my laptop?" She finds it and opens it to check out who she had as a carpenter when she built the bed and room and gives the information to Garcia. Who checked it out and gave the Morgan the information. Morgan and Prentiss head to New York to talk to the carpenters and builders of the room.

She looks at the screen again and still thinks that there is something funny about it but she can't seem to put her finger on it. JJ comes and stands beside her and asks, "What is the problem?"

"I don't know there is just something strange about now and what it looked like just a few hours ago."

"Well, it has been a few hours of more data, it probably looks dirtier than before because of all the things that the unsub did to him."

"Yeah, that could be it." She begins to turn away and then gets a good look at Hotch and finally realizes what is different. "Oh my god, this is a live feed."

JJ and the others look at her and then the screen and JJ asks, "How do you see that?"

As Angie points at the man's chin and say, "five days of beard growth." She looks at JJ sadly. "This is your Hotch right now."

The team that is there looks at the screen and sees a naked man on his hands and knees on the bed with his head down and looking pale and weak. It looks like he can barely stay still; he is wavering back and forth on his hands and knees. They see the man enter wearing a pair of jeans and t-shirt and leather hood and gloves. Rossi turns the sound back on and they hear the man say, "Well, little puppy are you ready to behave yourself and go back to your cage." The unsub pulls down the chain that is holding the man up and pulls the chain to force the man down on the floor on his hands and knees. He kicks him to force him to move toward the cage and Hotch refuses to move. "So you still won't go to your cage well, little puppy, you are going to learn to obey your master."

Very quietly another voice is heard, "You are not my master."

This enrages the unsub who throws a bucket of cold salt water on the man and then whips him until the man collapses into unconsciousness, the unsub pulls the unconscious man into the cage and locked the gate. He leaves the room.

In the round room, there are sobs, tears and feelings of anger and rage as they see what has just happened to their boss man. During this time a delivery man comes and is sent to the room. He is carrying what looks to be a box of flowers.

The delivery person says, "Is there an Angie Eskridge here?"

Angie responds, "Yes."

"These are for you ma'am."

She looks at the package in his hands and says, "You can take them back from where you got them." She turns away and leaves the room. Rossi looks at her with questions and accepts the box from the delivery person, who leaves. He opens the package and sees three dead flowers. He pushes the package away and the other team members gasp at the site as well. He walks out to find Angie.

When he does, he finds it difficult but asks, "Who would send dead flowers?"

She looks at him and says, "I don't know, but I've been receiving them during this week of the year for twenty years. For five days I would get three dead flowers, each day a different kind and then on the sixth day, I would get three dozen, all dead of my three favorite flowers; tulips, tiger lilies and roses. I don't know who sends them and I don't care; I just wish they would stop. I have done everything I can do to not receive them. I have gone on vacation; cruises, tours, any kind of package, but the flowers still came. I have disappeared without telling anybody and the flowers still came. I am here with you and the flowers still come. Yesterday, I didn't get flowers; I got a note and a DVD instead."

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" She looks at him incredulously.

"And what could you have done?"

"I could have found where they got the flowers from and maybe more but you never told me; so how could I do anything to stop it. Why didn't you trust me to help?"

"Thank you darling, but there wasn't anything you could do. You were busy with your own life and I wasn't going to burden with my sorrows. But I love you for at least telling me that you care to try." She smiles at him.

"Well, maybe this year will be the last."

"Ever the optimist."

"Steven and I used to say that about you. You could always bring a smile and hope to any situation."

"I am not that person anymore. I don't see hope. She left my life."

"Not true, she just got caught in a box that you need to open."

"I don't want to open that box."

"Angie, tell me what happened the year before your parents were killed. That is when this started. When I saw the spark of optimism and hope leave your eyes. You were the kindest, gentlest and most forgiving and loving person that I ever knew until that year and you did a complete personality change. You cared about everybody, including men." She looks at the man and can't believe that he could really be that dense about what could cause a woman to change. Did he really know so little about women? He's been three times; didn't he learn anything while he was married?

"Sometimes I do wonder about your intelligence dear boy."

Spencer who had walked up and only heard the last part of the conversation says, "He is a very intelligent man and if you knew him, you would know that."

"Ah, the voice of the young and impressionable Doctor Reid, a young man of extraordinary intelligence but not very much confidence beyond your knowledge. You need to expand your horizons beyond what you can learn from a book. Books are wonderful tools but they are cold comfort when the world is falling down around you."

"I know that, but I won't stop doing what I do. I like it."

"You know you are a very sweet young man and you need a sweet young woman to love you. I think I know someone who would be perfect. She is a lot like you; intelligent, shy, and sometimes a buttinsky. What do you want?"

"We think we can find Hotch through the live feed triangulation."

Rossi says, "Well let us see what you have." The day continues until latenight and the agents and Angie have been getting cat naps in where they can. Nobody wants to leave the place where they at least can see Hotch.

He is suffering at the hands of the unsub, once again he is hanging on the chains on the bed and has been recently beaten by the horsewhip, he is bleeding and looking more pale and wan than before. He has not eaten or drank anything since he got there because he won't suckle like an animal against that pink blanket on the wall. He is shivering on the bed because he won't go into the cage to get warm against that pink blanket on the wall, which is the only warm place in the room. But he still has his dignity and will not be broken into allowing the man to think that it acceptable for him to treat him as an animal. The unsub comes in with what looks like a giant size matchstick and puts it near the door. He grabs the chain and pulls the man off the bed. He says, "You stink, I think that the momma needs to clean her puppy," and another person comes in completely covered from head to toe in rubber. It appears to be a female. Aaron just stands there on his hands and knees and does not look up at her face. She takes the matchstick and puts it in a bucket of water and starts to stroke the man, after a few strokes, she would rewet the stick in the water and stroke him again. She washed him from head to butt and then pushed him down on his side and although he tried to keep himself curled up in a fetal position, she forced the stick and washed his chest, belly and lower extremities. He felt so violated and sore and very cold and weak. The unsub picked up his chain and pulled at the man, when the man didn't move, he was kicked and kicked again. The unsub cursed, "Shit, get up you fucking baby puppy and get in your cage, I don't want to kill you yet. It is not time yet for you to die. Get up and swallow your pride puppy. Think, what are more important, life or pride and dignity. Or don't you have anything to live for." This message got through to Hotch has he struggled to get up. He wondered did he have anything to live for and thought of Jack and said to himself, yes I have something to live for. I don't want Jack to grow up like Sean and lose his father when he is young. He forced himself to get up and crawl into the cage and turned around to get as close to the warmth that the wall had to offer. He saw the nipples that promised sustenance. He moved his head down and lay in the position to place his mouth on the nipple and began to suckle. He was shocked when he discovered it was delicious. (The woman with the unsub had put human infant formula in the bottle that the nipple is attached to.)

Our team watches this interaction on the plasma as it was being done. They saw the beating, the washing and determination of the man to live even at the expense of his pride.

Rossi curses, "Fuck, what are we doing to find this feed, where is coming from. Garcia?"

Garcia answers, "I have been trying sir and so far it has bounced off twenty-two satellites and towers, I keep going back and farther and hopefully we will get to it soon. I am trying sir."

Morgan and Prentiss came back from New York without much success, the carpenter and builders that they went to remembered building Angie's dungeon but have no records of orders to build a duplicate anywhere else. They saw the latest beating and humiliation of Hotch and like Rossi are angry and upset that they still don't where it is coming from.


	4. Thursday

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Four.**

BAU Headquarters

Thursday

It is late afternoon of Thursday, the bathing and feeding of Hotch occurred many hours before and our agents are frustrated by the lack of knowledge in discovering where Hotch is and now the weather is against them. A blizzard is predicted within the next 24 hours and if they don't find him before then, they probably won't. According to the statistics of Reid, the longer it is, the less likely of finding him and with the snow screwing up communications and satellite reception, they are becoming desperate.

Angie keeps looking at the plasma and watching the now sleeping man in the cage. She finds him amazing that through all this, he believed that life was worth the treatment he has received. If only he knew that unless a miracle occurs and he is found; he will be dead tomorrow by noon. Her parents died at 11:57am and Steven died at 11:58am. She has no doubts that he will be dead at 11:59am. She feels bad for the man, but doesn't know how to stop it unless they find him. It would be a shame to kill such a strong and courageous man. She wonders what makes him different from all the other men that she has met in her life, excluding her brothers. She finds men to be cruel, heartless and people who like to give pain not anything else. They are pretentious, stupid, and dishonorable to themselves and to the people they claim to love. They think that the muscles they have in their arms are what is important and yet most women want a man to respect more than a man to just protect. Other than her brothers, she never met a man like that and even they have difficulties sometimes realizing respect and dignity is more important than powerful muscles and the ability to break down a door. If you can break a door, what makes you think that I would trust you to not try to break me? The man on the screen before thought that living was more important than keeping his adult male pride intact and she thought that is amazing.

She feels around her and looks at Rossi and says, "Hello."

"Penny for your thoughts."

"There is just something niggling at me about the cage and what somebody told me once about them. I can't seem to grab hold of it. It is just a faint wisp of fluff in my head and yet I think that it is important. I am not sure what it is I am trying to remember, especially since we are running out of time."

"We will find him in time."

She just kept thinking and looking at this man and then looked at the stick that they used to 'clean' Hotch and something flashed in her mind. Something a person said to her a long time ago about how a mother animal cleaned their infant baby and what would it be like if humans did that. Of course, humans could not; they have a completely different type of tongue and abilities for using the tongue. But if you look at the stick that was on Hotch, it could look like an animal's tongue, rough and get gentle for cleaning. She finds it hard to wrap her mind around this idea because the person who talked about it couldn't actually do it. He supposed to still be in prison.

Morgan was watching her watching Hotch and noticed that she might be remembering something important. He asks, "What are thinking?" She turns and looks at him and hesitantly, I might know who is doing this. Over twenty years, I was dating a man, who was into animal biology and he once talked about how mother animals would clean their babies using their tongues. The tongues are quite raspy and have segments that catch and clean the baby of anything stuck to its skin or fur. I was looking at that stick that they used to clean Hotch and how they cleaned and it reminded me of the way he talked about how a momma cleaned her baby."

"Are you saying that's what they are treating him like, an animal?"

"Yes, think about it."

"I don't want to think about it."

"Don't be stupid, the unsub calls him a baby puppy, he is chained and not allowed to stand, the way she cleaned is the way a mother bitch would clean her pup. He is forced into that cage, which has only warmth in the room on the wall and he has cuddle up to it to get warm, that they make suckle from a nipple on that same space. I didn't say I liked this idea but it is what it is."

"Stay here." He goes over to Rossi, Prentiss and Reid and told them about what Angie had said. They look at her and see what she is seeing. Rossi walks over to her.

"Okay, you've convinced me of what they are doing to him. Do you know who it might be?"

"He is supposed to still be in jail. They would have told me if he was out, wouldn't they?" She looks fearfully at Rossi.

"Who is this man, Angie?"

"I was the main witness to testify against him in a rape case twenty years ago. He raped fourteen women and possibly more but no others came forward to testify. I had known him for several years before the case came up and actually counseled some of the women he raped and assaulted. His biggest mistake was thinking that I was a pushover and wouldn't testify just because I knew him. He was given multiple sentences and I was told that he would probably never get out."

"What was name?"

"Donald Francis Johnson, St. Paul Minnesota."

"Garcia."

"On it, Donald F. Johnson, released from the Minnesota Correctional Facilities at Stillwater three months ago, says he was released on parole early for good behavior. Claims he was a model citizen prisoner."

"What else does it say about him?"

"He had a sister who was living in New York and I have an address in Pennsylvania for him. It looks like it was his parents and was given to him and sister on their death."

"Any information on his sister."

"Not yet sir, she's has only a state ID from twenty years ago, otherwise there is nothing in her name."

"What was her name twenty years ago?"

"Jacqueline Susanne Johnson, current age 42, unknown address or job or anything."

"What was their mother's maiden name?"

"Carter."

"Look for something under her any combination of those names."

"Okay, let us see what I can find. No hits except for Susan Carter, she has a New York ID and address and job."

Angie speaks, "It can't be Susan, I've known her eighteen years, and she is my personal assistant and lives with me." The others look at her stricken face when she realizes that her most trusted confidante could be the person who has taken this gentle man.

Rossi says, "Now we know who might have been the one sending you the flowers for all those years." Angie face crumples in sobbing pain.

"I've trusted her with everything in my life, how could she betray me like that?"

"What did you do to her brother?"

"I accused him of rape because that is what he did and sent him to prison. Oh, god, she killed mine and never let me have peace on the anniversary of his death. Garcia, triangulate the signal of this live feed to that place in Pennsylvania, bounce it off the address in New York."

"I got a hit that has to be where it's coming from." They checked out where the location and see that it is about seven hours of drive time. They begin to call in agents to head a swat team up to the area and called in the local agents to meet them there.

Angie says, "I am going with you."

Rossi answers, "No, you're not."

"I am still a medical doctor, I can help, that man is going to need help to get out of there. Let me check him out so that it can be done with the least amount of pain to him."

"You are not trained to do this and can't guarantee your safety and I don't want you hurt."

"If you go, I go."

"I am trained for this."

"Trained, schmained, I don't care. I am going. If that place is set up exactly my dungeon, I can get you in there with no loss of life or time. We have a blizzard going on outside and your boy isn't going to survive much longer. Remember, 11:59 am is the likely time of death. You need me to come; I need to help your boy."

Spencer finds it interesting in the fact that she keeps calling Hotch a boy and says, "Let her come Rossi, I think she's right." She looks at him with mild surprise.

"Stay near me." As the team heads out to the SUV's in the parking lot, they cannot use the jet because of the blizzard and all air traffic is stranded. The can only drive there and hope they make it in time.


	5. Finding the Man

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Five.**

Pennsylvania

Friday Morning

It was over ten hours later when the cars arrived within 25 miles of the area. The snow is coming down hard and heavy leaving visual to less than 10 feet in front of the vehicles. They couldn't see the safety lights of the cars in front of them. The cars were moving forward at barely a 10 mph crawl, but our intrepid agents are not slowing down or giving up, they know that they are on a time limit. They must make it through. Those who were not driving slept, so that they were fresh when they get there. They have had very little sleep in the past 72 hours and know that to save Hotch; they need to be at their best. They did change drivers every two hours so that no one got too tired driving through the snowstorm. It was almost six in the morning as they came into the town where they believe Hotch is being held and join with the local agents and all others who had been sent. There were 18 agents there to work at finding their missing agent. The locals had gone to the location and believe they know how to get into the building; however they think that Hotch is actually being held in an underground bunker that is about a mile from the actual building.

At eight o'clock they agents storm the building and find it empty, but down in the basement they find a door to a long tunnel which they follow, the tunnel is narrow and barely fits a large man from shoulder to shoulder. The medical personal had not shown up as they have been slowed down by the blizzard and Angie is following David with the large bag of things that she had bought the day before in Quantico when she had decided to go with them to rescue Hotch. Things that she thinks she will need to help the man.

The man in question has been for the past twelve hours being prepared to be killed by the unsub, who wants to break him down. The unsub really wants the man to declare him his master but so far Hotch is keeping his dignity intact. Despite being kicked, raped and treated as an infant puppy, he bows to no master. The unsub decides to go further in the degradation of the man by removing all his hair except that on his head and tying his balls into a small pouch. The man decides to cut the man's calves in order to prevent him from being able to stand and walk. He is whipped and strangled into unconsciousness and then revived only to have the torture begin again. After that first time of suckling on the nipples on the wall, Hotch has not touched them again. He refuses to degrade himself like that again. The sustenance that he got was plenty for him to wait for his team. He believes in his team and knows that they will be there to rescue him.

Back in Quantico, Garcia and JJ watch the live feed still coming in of their boss and cry and sob at the torture and degradation the man is going through. They can only hope the team will get there in time as they continue to look at the clock on the wall and see it edge closer and closer to 11:59am. The live feed has been being recorded by the computer so that if they are able to catch the unsub and accomplice they can use the footage to help prosecute, even though it is sickening to see and hear what is being done to the man.

Our agents reach the end of the tunnel and see that it opens into a chamber that is empty of furniture or accessories. There are 12 doors that lead from the chamber including the one the just came through. Rossi has the agents split into teams and head through each door. He had an agent define the door they came through as door number 1, which they know will be the one to lead to the building. He, Spencer and Angie chose door number 10 to head down. The corridor looked empty and had no distinguishing marks to define it as the one that Hotch would be in, however since they have no idea what the corridor outside the room he is in looks like, it seemed to be as good as any. The corridors actually met and matched with other corridors, it was like a rat's maze and the agents were the rats. There were dead ends, forks and multiple splits to head down. But they were having difficulty finding any doors that lead to rooms. The corridors just seem to go round and round and straight or even up and down it seems. They become narrow and wide and Rossi was beginning to get irritated. He wants to get out of the fun house. He and his group were walking down a corridor when they began to hear something. This was unusual because in all of the other places they were, they had heard nothing. It seems to be voices increasing their volume at each. They could only catch some phrases of what was being said.

"We got to get out."

"He hasn't broken yet."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"If you had done something to the bitch anyway…"

"I like her, she is nice, besides I have some…"

"I don't care about the brat."

"Let's get out now."

"Set the timer, we might be able to get more than just one."

LAUGHING.

Silence.

Our agents run forward to see where they can find a way to where the voices were. They find another corridor to the right and follow it to what appears to finally be a door at the end of the corridor. In fact there are two of them. Heading into the one on the left, they see a table with two chairs along one wall and a bed on another one near a small stove and refrigerator and what appears to be a wall radiator. There is a door to a small bathroom and nothing else. They leave the room and go into the next one and see the room that they had been viewing for two days now. Hotch is locked in the cage at the moment asleep but seems to be alive and if not completely healthy, at least well. Angie goes over and looks at the man as well as she could through the holes of the cage. She sees the cuts on his calves, and the running blood coming from his behind. She looks at the bluish tinge of his skin under his eyes and his lips. She opens up her bag and reaches to take out the portable oxygen tank and places the face cup over him. His eyelids flicker and his eyes open to look at her and say, "Kathy?" She replies, "No, I am Angie. Be quiet now and we are going to get you out of here."

Rossi has been on the radio to get other agents in and let them that Hotch has been located and a bolt cutter is needed. He goes and looks down at the man. Spencer had come in and looked at Hotch and felt sickened and went back to the other room to find a key for the cage or anything he can find to help get the man out of the cage. He does not find anything to do so, what he does find is the trigger to the bomb that was behind the wall near the table and chairs, the one that is on a clock timer and appears to be getting close to the time. He rushes back into the other room to let Rossi know.

"Rossi, there is a timer to a bomb; it looks like it's on a clock timer and when it reaches a certain time it will explode. I don't think it can be disarmed; the bomb itself is behind the wall."

Rossi got on the radio again to have the bomb squad sent there and the remaining agents were told to get out. If they are not in the process of the rescue or the bomb squad, they needed to get out. There were footfalls coming down the corridor and he sees Morgan and three members of the bomb squad coming toward him. Morgan has a bolt cutter in his hands and goes into the room with Hotch while the others go into the other room. Spencer heads into the other room to show them and look around for any other clues as what may be there to help their case against the unsubs.

In the room, Morgan cuts off the lock and opens the door to the cage.

Angie says, "Be extremely careful." As Morgan begins to pull the man out of the cage; he cares for him as if he was a small child that he was rescuing. Angie had set up a blanket with a moisture proof pad on it for Morgan to place the man on. She then proceeds to check him all over. She cleans and dresses the wounds on his calves. She washes him down all his legs and then moves to his buttocks and pelvic area. She cleans his anus of the blood and did a mild cursory look but did not do a full clean, since she wants to get him to a hospital where a rape kit can be done. She washes his back of the clotted blood from the whippings and burns that were done unto the man. She moved along the back to his neck and the back of his head, where she washed and cleaned the minor wounds that were there. She then had Morgan and Rossi gently turn the man over unto his back and she proceeded to clean and dress the wounds on his front. She released his balls and gently massaged them back into the correct shape; she washed his lower torso and then did something that both Morgan and Rossi tried to stop her from doing.

Rossi says, "No, don't you think he has been treated badly enough?" and Morgan says, "He had plenty of that as a young man, he doesn't need that now."

Angie looks at both these men and is confused by what they said, but is determined to put the diaper on the man. She says, "I know that you both love this man and want what's best for him. But he needs this on to help contain the bleeding from his backside and to have something on that makes him easy to care for. I am not trying to embarrass or humiliate him, I just want him covered in that area, to give him some privacy. He is not going to have a lot of dignity treated to him right, let us give him some that makes it easy for him."

Hotch talks and says, "Let her do it Rossi, I need it right now. Kathy knows what she is doing. She has done it before."

Angie looks at Rossi and asks, "Why does he keep calling me Kathy?" He and Morgan look at each with looks of resignation.

Rossi answers, "Just finish up with him, we need to get him out of here. It is after 11."


	6. Escape

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Six.**

Angie finished cleaning and bandaging Hotch, she then took out something from her bag that Rossi said absolutely no to. She was not going to do him what the unsub did, force him to drink from a baby bottle. Angie gets up from the man's side and takes her 'brother' to the side.

She says, "What is up with you? I know what that horrible man did to Aaron, I saw it but he forced him to do it as an infant animal, not a human. I want to feed Aaron as a human not an animal and right now the bottle is the best way to rehydrate and get him some nutrients into that starved body. Please stop interfering with what I am doing. I can't put an IV in yet, not until we get him out of this dungeon and I want something in him first. After the bottle, he has to be carried out of here. He will not be able to walk out on his own, trust me sweetheart. I am only thinking of what is best for that boy there."

Rossi answers, "That is all good and well, but he has issues about that."

"You can tell me about those issues later. I can only do what is best for him now despite any past issues." She walks back to him and lifts his head and places it into the crook of her right elbow and proceeds to place the nipple in his mouth. He opens his eyes and looks at what in his fevered and dehydrated mind looked liked his dead friend Kathy. He began to suck on the bottle and lifted his hand to touch her face. She felt the gentle touch of his hand and hummed a little tuneless ditty to comfort this man. Rossi came over and covered the man with the edges of the blanket to help warm him up.

Angie tells him to take the slippers out of the bag and place them on his feet.

It is 11:30am when Aaron finished the bottle and at that time, Angie wrapped up the man in the blanket like a mummy. He could not move at all. She walked over to Morgan and him, "Can you carry him? Are you strong enough to do alone and with great gentility?" She looks the man in the eye.

He answers, "Yes, I can. He is a firmly grown man but I can carry him."

"Over your shoulder."

"My shoulder? Yes." He goes over to Hotch and with Rossi and Spencer's help, the man is lifted unto his Morgan's shoulder on his abdomen. He is draped over and Angie walks over to the man and picks up his head and looks at his face. His eyes are closed but he does not seem to be in any pain. Morgan turns around and begins to head out of the room when she stops him and says. "Be very careful, that is precious cargo on your shoulders, take it easy and if you get tired, set him down and rest."

"We don't have a lot of time to get out."

"I know, just do the best possible, I will be following behind very soon." Morgan walks out with Aaron.

Rossi says, "I want you to leave now." She puts her hand up to quieten him. He glowers at her. She turns to him.

"In a few minutes, when are you leaving?"

"I want to finish up in here, the squad is going to see if it is possible to disarm, but they don't have any reference to the type of bomb it is completely enclosed. We don't have a lot of time of disable."

"How about that boy of yours, you need to send him out?"

"Spencer is good; I am sending him up just after you leave."

"He was a little squeamish there earlier."

"He has kind of a hero worship of the boss."

"That's the problem with having heroes, eventually you learn they are as human as you are."

"He's the second smartest person that I have ever known."

"Well, he's young yet; give him time to learn more. Besides, I've learned there that what you learn from a book is less important that than what you learn from people."

Rossi chuckles, "And how many do you have now?"

"I stopped counting when it hit the double digits."

"What are taking now?"

"For the first time in my life, I am taking nothing. I decided this semester was going to be the first semester that I played hooky from gaining new knowledge. It has been so…..boring. I hate not having anything to do, in creating ideas, reports, working out problems. Although I have been doing some freelancing, but nothing new has been happening. This excursion has so far been the highlight of life right now. Isn't that sad?"

"My heart's just breaking for you."

"I am heading out now, don't be too far behind. If I have to come back in, I am going to make you spend 30 days in my nursery." She leaves the room as he just stares out at her.

She catches up to Morgan with Hotch, they are more than half way out, she calls by radio to have the car right at the door to put the man into it. They get to the end of the corridor and arrive at the building to head upstairs and out into the cold snow filled world.

Hotch groans says, "Cold."

Morgan answers, "I know and I am going to get you into the warmth as soon as possible, just hold on."

Angie walks in front of Morgan and heads to the other side of the car, while another agents opens the back door of the SUV in order for Morgan to set their boss in. Angie gets in the back seat behind the driver and takes Hotch under the armpit to assist in lifting and pulling him towards her. Morgan worked from his end and eventually Hotch is in her arms, he is lying on the back seat with his lower back supported by her legs and his upper back in the crook of her left arm. He puts his head on her shoulder. She locks the door to prevent it from accidently opening and settles her bag down by her feet. She more firmly wraps the blanket around the man's upper torso while Morgan wraps around the feet and makes sure they are well in the car before he closes the door. He walks around to the driver side of the vehicle while the other agent went to another car.

Angie keeps looking at her watch to check the time and it is 11:52, with no appearance of any other members of our team. "Morgan, how many people are still down there?"

"Last I heard there were three bomb squad, Rossi, Reid and Prentiss and two local agents, Sanchez and Montgomery." They see Prentiss and Sanchez coming out followed closely by Montgomery and Reid.

Our BAU agents came to the door of the SUV to check on Hotch, Morgan brings the window down. HE says, "Do you want to come with us or is there space in another car."

Reid answers, "For some reason, space in any of the cars is limited, I do see one spot here, and do you want Rossi or one of us."

Angie speaks, "I would like you both in the back with me, if you don't mind Aaron lying on top of you."

"Do you think we will fit, it looks like a tight squeeze?"

"Neither of you takes up a lot of space." Emily opens the door and has Reid enter first to get into the center seat and climbs in after him. There does seem to be enough room as they place Aaron's bottom half over their laps. "Be careful, I want you there to keep him still, warm and have the sensation of feeling safe with people he trusts." She continues to slightly rock the man in her arms.

He says, "I am cold and hungry." They close the door to the car and bundle up him further into the blanket surrounding him. He snuggled closer to the people on the seat. Two minutes later, the remaining squad members and Rossi come out of the building. Rossi sees the car and is a little peeved, he wanted them to be gone by now. He opens the front door of the car and got into the passenger seat. Once he was in Morgan started carefully and slowly away from the building.

Once on the road at a slow pace, Rossi says, "Why didn't you leave once you got Hotch into the car? You didn't have to wait for me?"

Morgan answers. "That's true sir we didn't, but Hotch didn't want to go without you. You know how he can get sometimes he doesn't leave until everybody's out; can't get around the man on that."

Rossi looks at Morgan with suspicion and then into the back to look at the man in Angie's arms and says, "Isn't he a little heavy?"

"I've had heavier. He's fine." She reaches down to get her bag and yet can't quite reach it. Spencer reaches down and pulls it up. He holds it open for her to reach and she removes another bottle, this time of apple juice. She places the nipple into Hotch's mouth and he opens his eyes to looks at her with gratitude as he begins to suck. This was a new experience for either Spencer or Emily and they were mildly shocked, even if Derek and David weren't.

Spencer especially felt that the bottle was demeaning to the boss and said so. He actually got quite upset by it and tried to take the bottle out of Angie's hand and subsequently Aaron's mouth. Aaron tried to stop him but could not lift his arm as he was wrapped up like a mummy. Angie kept hold however and the bottle stayed where it is. Spencer got even more upset because he felt that it was just wrong. David reached back and stayed his hand. He says to the young man, "It is okay, he is getting what he needs at this time in the best way possible. It is not as bad as you think." Spencer looks at him with fairly stricken eyes because this is not how he wants to see his boss.

For the next hour, our car drives through the blizzard slowly, they get about 40 miles from the building which exploded just two minutes after they left. Aaron fell asleep after finishing his bottle and Spencer keeps looking out the windshield in front of them. He does not want to look at his boss. He thinks that is it still wrong that she gave a bottle to him and that he even took it. Why he wonders? This is a man who rarely smiles and is strong and fearless and he has now been reduced to a helpless, dependant, weak baby after less than a week? It doesn't make sense to the young genius. A voice breaks into his thoughts.

"Life doesn't always make sense and whatever you read isn't always the best way."

He looks at Angie and says, 'What is that supposed to mean? My life revolves around what I have learned from what I have read and the knowledge that I get."

"Yet, you are uncertain and ignorant about life and its ways. You can't learn everything from a book or from a classroom. There is so much to learn and so much to do. Many think that extreme sports and physical activities are great ways of doing things. I found them to be boring and completely self-aggrandizing. It doesn't help people or society or increase or decrease world problems. I guess that's why I will never run a marathon and don't really care who did. You are a good young man Spencer, don't let what is currently happening to your boss reduce your respect or love for him. He will need to overcome the psychological struggles that he will have when this is over. Yes, I know that he will have struggles because I have been working with people struggling from assault for more than twenty years. Everybody deals differently and one is not better than the other and each person must battle their own demons with the strength that they get from the friends and family they have. That is how you fight your demons. Those that eventually fail to do so; it is because of the failure of family and friends who could not give strength, only criticism and judgment." She places her hand on the young man's hand and lifts it to place it on Aaron's cheek. "He is still the man that you have come to love and respect." Spencer looks at the sleeping face with his hand on the cheek and sees that he can't help but respect this man as he remembers what this man has done for him and others in the time that he has known him. He was always the strong one, the one that didn't need help and now that he is the one in of help, Spencer knows that he can't help but be there to help him. He notices the eyes open and looking at him and smiles.

"Do you sleep well boss?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you Spencer. Kathy?"

"My name is Angie, but what is it Aaron?"

"I am not feeling very comfortable, I have a problem."


	7. On the Road

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Seven.**

She feels his head and knows that he doesn't have a fever so, she opens the blanket up a little and reaches down and senses a problem. His face is turning red and he feels embarrassed that he has to admit and have this happen in front of his agents. She kisses the top of his head and asks him what he wants to do about it. He thinks that he doesn't really know but knows that something needs to be done because it is very uncomfortable and he wants to feel comfortable again. His mind is not really functioning as well as it could because the trauma to some of the areas of his body just takes over and he just wants it to go away. He doesn't care how it does. He says I don't know what to do about it. She kisses his head again and says that she will take care of it. He looks and trusts in that and places his head back on her shoulder.

Spencer asks, "What was all about?"

She looks at the young man and says, "This is one of the times you are going to have to be very strong and non-judgmental. He needs to be changed." Rossi and Morgan both look back and then at each other. Both thinking I am glad that I am not back there.

Spencer says, "What do mean, he needs to be changed?"

She answers, "What do think that Aaron has on under this blanket?"

"I really hadn't thought about it."

"When you first saw him what was he wearing?"

"Nothing"

"So what does he have on under this blanket?"

"Nothing"

"I didn't like that idea when we came that is why I brought something to put on him when we found him, but I needed something that would give him some covering without putting pressure on anything or on his ability to do things. I didn't want to pull something up over his legs or cover his back where he was whipped. I wanted something to cover his privates and give him some dignity there. The problem is that you might not think that it is dignified."

"Well, let me think about this. You want something this is covering his personal area but will not have be brought down his back or up his legs. The only that would fit that description is a diaper and you wouldn't put him in that, would you?" He thinks some more and the more he thinks about it, the more he is certain that his boss is currently wearing a diaper and it needs to be changed. "We have to change his diaper, don't we?" She looks at him with compassion at his uncomfortableness to the idea of changing his boss's diaper. "How do we do that? We can't stop anywhere; I mean there is nothing to see out around us. It is a blizzard out there. I am shocked that Morgan can even keep on the road."

Morgan says, "Grew up in Northern Illinois, life doesn't stop just because there is snow coming down."

Spencer replies, "That's fine for there but what can we do about this."

Angie says, "We need to change him in the car."

Both Spencer and Emily say, "What?"

"I know it will be a difficult maneuver, but it can be done. He is a tall man and a lot of that is leg, so that helps. We need to lift him now so that is upper back is on the door and head in on the window with his bottom sitting on your lap Spencer. The blanket will be opened and his legs will be opened, the left leg going over the back of the front seat and hitting David in the head. (He turns and looks at her and she pulls a face at him. He narrows his eyes.) The right leg will go around Emily to the back of her. Spencer, you will need to then remove his current diaper and put it in a plastic bag which Emily will hold. You will then take the cleansing wipes and wash thoroughly but very carefully, remember he does have injuries there in front and in back." While she is discussing how they will do this, she is taking the supplies out of the bag. She hands a plastic bag to Emily and then hands her the cleansing wipes, fresh diaper, lotion and powder. After taking everything out of her bag she puts the bag back down by her feet. "Are you ready?"

Both agents nod their heads, the three lift the man from their laps and moving the man towards Emily and place him as Angie stated. The blanket is spread and Angie checks it around the man to see if blood or anything had leaked. It is fortunate at this time that there were no leaks. Aaron spreads his legs and kicks David in the head. David turns around and glares at the man, who did the same thing back. Emily places the things on the blanket between the legs while Spencer begins to remove the diaper and cleans him partially before removing the diaper completely. He then proceeds to gently clean and then spread lotion all around the man backside and genitals. He places the clean diaper under the man's hips and then powders the man before bringing the diaper up and taping the diaper together tightly and then he made sure the diaper was comfortably on the man and would not leak. They cleaned the area up and moved his legs back together, this time being more careful not to kick David in the head. The cover him back up in the blanket into a mummy form again. The three people then lift the man again and move him back into Angie's arms.

She got another bottle of protein formula out and began to feed him. Spencer looks almost longingly because he is hungry and thirsty too. Angie looks at him and says, "Would you like one for yourself?" He looks at her with a mixture of desire and are you kidding?

"I would rather stop someplace if we could find a place open."

Morgan states, "I haven't seen anything that we could stop at. But as soon as I see something we will stop. I am getting hungry myself and I don't want a bottle, thank you very much." Some chuckles.

A few more hours go by while they continue to drive slowly through the snow filled countryside. The snow finally stopped coming down but there is still so much on the roads and they continue to drive through it as they see cars in snow ditches and piles along the side of the road. Aaron has slept most of the time and our other agents have also gotten some sleep since they didn't have anything else to do. Angie stayed awake and kept Morgan entertained while he drove. He finally saw a small restaurant on the side of the road and drove into the parking lot. It looked like it was closed, but Rossi got out to see if he could convince the owners to open up. The place was open even though they had no electricity and could not cook anything, but they can provide that doesn't require cooking. They don't mind the agents coming in to rest and get something and use the restrooms.

The agents leave the car with Aaron being carried in covered in the blanket. The owners and only other people in the restaurant look askew at the man being brought in the blanket but did not say anything. Angie brought the bag in and went to the owner to ask if she could wash some dishes in their hot water. There was agreement and she washed the used bottles in the hottest water possible. She put water into two of the bottles with formula powder and set them back into the bag. She asked if she could fill two bottles with milk and one with apple juice and one with orange juice. She was given permission to do with. The team had sat down, but was waiting for Angie to come and sit with them before setting Aaron down in the best way. She finally came and sat down in the farthest corner of the booth and then accepted Aaron into her arms with his head on the right crook of her elbow while she got one of the bottles of milk and placed it into his mouth. The others took the other side of the booth and attached a table with two additional chairs. They order cereal and anything else that does not require cooking. Angie got some cottage cheese and fruit slices with a bagel and cream cheese. She took the bottle out of Aaron's mouth and spoon fed some mashed up fruit and cheese into his mouth.

The agents take a look at the map and try to find exactly where they are on the map, even though they are using the GPS in the SUV, they do like to look at the map when they can to see how far home or the Bethesda Hospital where they plan on taking Aaron is. It looks like about another two hundred miles to go, but at the speed they have to be going, it is going to take forever to get there. Should they find someplace to spend the night? Would Aaron be okay if they didn't get him to the hospital right away? The decision was to continue to drive and get Aaron to Bethesda Medical Center. Spencer is taking over the driving while Rossi is actually going to be taking Angie's place in the car and will be holding Aaron. Derek is going to get into the back of the SUV and curl up and sleep while Emily will be navigating Spencer and Angie will sit next to David in the back seat with Aaron's legs on her. The restaurant owners accept the cash that the agents have and wish them good luck on the trip and to be careful. The owner also brought two more blankets that they had in the back and gave them to the agents.

Spencer asked, "Why did they give us the two blankets? It doesn't make sense."

David answers, "It's because of Hotch, they think that he is actually mentally challenged and they thought that he needed more warmth around him. Remember I took him to the bathroom and changed him."

"Yeah, thanks for that, I really didn't want to do that again."

"Just drive and get us to the hospital."


	8. The Hospital

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Eight.**

After another six hours in the car, the tired and anxious agents finally arrive at the Medical Center who knows that they are coming and have everything ready to take Aaron in and examine him. JJ had been able to get a hold of our agents by satellite phone and so knew when they would get there. She had already talked to Dr. Pitt at the Hospital and even brought the DVDs of Aarons torture to show the man, so that he had an idea of what was coming. He did know of Angie and how she works with her assault victims. She has unusual methods that work and have helped many recover. He watched the DVD's and was once again amazed at the depth of depravity that people can do to other people. The hospital prepared for the agent even though they had no idea when he would be arriving.

When the agents arrived, they had a gurney right there to bring the Hotch into the emergency room. The doctor and staff removed the blanket and placed a gown on the man. They removed the diaper and performed the rape kit and took pictures of the body while checking and replacing the bandages that were covering his body. They took blood tests and other tests to check his vitals and see if there is inner organ damage. They placed him on a gurney to take him to x-ray unknowingly placing him in danger again.

She heard them say that they were bringing him here and since the bomb didn't get him maybe something else would. She was going to get this man no matter that her brother was a stupid fool. How he could have taken the wrong man is beyond her comprehension but she would solve the problem. She looks around at the others in the room waiting on this man on the gurney. He is well cared about so maybe her brother didn't do too badly. She took her ceramic gun out of her purse and walked toward the gurney trying to make sure that Angie did not see her. When she got close enough, she looked down at her little puppy and bent to talk into his ear, "Hello puppy." He opens his eyes looking around in fear at what she said. When he sees her, he whimpers, but cannot get any other sound out. His mouth opens and closes without sound as fear actually overcomes his strong mind. He wants somebody to come and get him. In his mind, he cries out 'Kathy, David, anybody, help', but nothing comes out of his mouth. He silently whimpers, help. The woman takes the gun and holds it to his head and cocks the barrel. He whimpers again when suddenly someone screams.

There are many running feet leaving the area as the woman watches them go. She doesn't care about the people running out, let them go, the only hostage she needs is on the gurney sitting next to her. Our agents have faced her with their guns drawn and Angie sees her standing there next to the man that she has hurt mentally and physically. Angie says, "Hello Susan. How could you do this? I trusted you for eighteen years we have been together. I gave you a home, a job, my brother and this is how you repay me?"

Susan responds, "Yes, you gave me all of that and it was because you lied against my brother and they sent him away."

"I didn't lie about what he did. He was a pitiful, cruel, sadistic rapist and nothing was going to change that. He raped over 15 women in less than three years. His mistake was me and Kathy."

Aaron weakly says, "Kathy?"

Susan speaks to the man, "Shut up puppy and hits him in the temple." The agents cock their guns and she looks around at them and says to them, "Which one of you will get me and can you do it before my finger pulls the trigger?" She once again places the barrel against the weakened man's head and looks with arrogance at the agents surrounding her. When all at once the gun in on the ground and she is crying out from pain at the sound of a what seemed to be a sonic boom but was only the flick of the bull whip that is now coming from Angie's hand. "I didn't see that on you, usually it is in the belt form around your waist. Where did you have it hidden?"

Angie says nothing just picks the whip up and begins to wrap it around her from elbow to hand like a rope. The agents ran to get the gun and arrest her. Angie walked toward the man on the gurney and smiled at him when she got there. All he sees is her smile and says, "Kathy." He closes his eyes to sleep. The staff decides to let him sleep before taking him to x-ray and then a room of his own. Angie talks with Dr. Pitt about the physical and potential psychological effects the abduction has done while our agents are told to head home and get cleaned up and some sleep themselves. It is believed that the man is as safe as he can be.

Spencer talks to Rossi, "Is that one of those times to prove that you don't need a gun to stop someone?"

He replies, "Yeah, but I never got into the whole whip thing. Angie has never touched a gun, but she is good with the whip. I remember when she picked up her first one. It wasn't a real whip, just a toy, but she loved it and then she saw that Indiana Jones movie and she had to learn how use a whip. She is quite proficient at it and I didn't even know she had it on her."

"Can you kill with it?"

Angie speaks up, "You can kill with anything. It all depends on the force of the pressure and the leverage you use as well as where you use it."

"So you can kill with it? To demonstrate Angie whips Spencer around the neck and started pulling, until she released him to be able to breathe again.

"Yes, you can." As she walks away, he is gasping for air and looking at her incredulously that she would do that.

Rossi speaks up, "She believes demonstrations teach better than words, are you okay?"

"Why didn't you stop her or take it off when it was on?"

"It was on for less than ten seconds and you were never in danger. She was just demonstrating what you wanted to know. What did you learn?"

"That woman is dangerous." Rossi chuckles.

"Yeah, I learned that a lo-ong time ago. But what else did you learn?"

"A whip can kill."

"Then she proved her point."

A few hours later, when Aaron had gotten his x-rays and was now in a private room, the agents began to one by one come by and see their fearless boss, who it seems is not so fearless. He is struggling in his mind to understand what exactly happened to him and why. During a short period in which he had no visitors, there was a visitor that should not have been able to get in.

"Hello puppy." Aaron opens his eyes to look at the man leaning over him. "My sister is mad at me now; it seems you are not the brother of Dr. Angie Eskridge. But I learned something about you and am glad that I got you. You are the other one's most precious person. Oh, she would talk about you and how she loved you. I wish she loved me like that but she only had eyes for you. That's why I took her from the back so that I couldn't see you in her eyes. Her wishing I was you. Well puppy, I've got you now and from now on you will call me master."

"You are not my master."

"I control you and that makes me your master."

"You do not control me."

"It is because of me that you cannot walk and now I am going to take away your ability to talk." He places a piece of fake skin on a receiver to his neck. "Every time you say anything or make any noise I will hear and if I don't like what I hear, I am going to cut off a finger."

"You are going to be that close."

"I didn't say it was going to be your finger or toe or other extremity. There are many people in your life that I can do it to, but the one that I have now is a six year old little boy, who looks just like his daddy." Aaron's eyes grow wider and fearful.

"Leave him alone, he in no trouble for you."

"If you behave and be a good little puppy the boy will be fine, here's your commands puppy, listen to your master. You will not talk at all to anyone, you can whimper, cry or any other noise you want, but you will not form words using your mouth. You will not write to anyone either, no words will be formed from your fingers, but you can try to communicate other ways if possible, just no words. Every time that you hear the word angel you will defecate wherever you are, anywhere and you will not use a toilet to do it in. Be a good little puppy and someone will clean you up. You will stop eating food like a big boy and only accept it as a puppy or I will allow you to feed like a baby, a very young baby. I will be watching you and you will never be free of my presence."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Because I hate that bitch, which sent me to prison for twenty years just because I gave women what they begged for and wanted. That Angie convicted me, but your Kathy nailed the coffin. I am getting revenge on two for the price of one. Good bye little puppy, remember I will be watching and listening and if you do anything that I don't want you to do. I will eat a finger and then a toe and finally I'll stuff him like a turkey."

"No, don't hurt Jack. I will follow your commands, master."

"Good bye for now puppy."


	9. Kathy?

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Nine.**

Several days later, the people at the hospital are perplexed at the behavior of the agent. His wounds are healing fine but it seems that his mental state is regressing further.

Some of the things that are leading them to this conclusion are that he won't feed himself, he won't chew food, and he won't use the toilet or ask assistance to use a bedpan but will just pee or defecate where ever he is. He doesn't talk, but just makes whining sounds or he cries out when he wants something, not necessarily when he needs something, but when he wants something. It seems that he just wants to be left in his own little world and will not talk to anyone.

The hospital has put him in diapers and now feeds him through the IV, but tries to put things in his stomach however so far only liquids given to him through something which he can suck through seems to be the only method. They have decided to just give it to him in baby bottles. He seems to enjoy those most of all in comparison to other methods.

Angie and Dr. Pitt discuss the problem of the man's physical and psychological problems. She is also not certain as to why he is regressing so much. It would be different if he were still being tortured by the unsub and his sister, but he's not and yet is not progressing to a place where she can start to help him heal. He won't talk to anybody, not to any of the hospital staff or any of his friends and co-workers.

His brother Sean came in from Hong Kong and was shocked at the appearance of his big brother. William came in from home and was also surprised at the appearance of the man. The brothers discuss what can be done to help Aaron. Is he competent anymore to make his own decisions? He is not just a member of the BAU anymore but is also a part of a global corporation which has responsibilities for thousands of people's lives. Can he decisions or do they have to take away his rights to do so? He is now one of the wealthiest people in the world and that makes him vulnerable to anyone, does he need someone else to make decisions about his life for him? They do put a bodyguard outside his door at the hospital because he is vulnerable. They are just not certain they want to take legal action to protect him. Does he need to be placed into conservatorship or would that regress him further? When he knows that someone else controls what he does and what is done to him. These are the question that the brothers are discussing.

Aaron is listening to his brothers discuss him and his competency and is frustrated because he does understand what is happening around him and to him and he wants to express to them that he is okay. But if he talks or does what they want him to do, Jack will be in danger. In Aaron's mind that is what he believes that unless he obeys his master Jack will be hurt. The truth is far from that, since the unsub had lied about having Jack. It was psychological torture. They will not bring the boy to his father even though Jack really wants to see his dad. But they think that if they bring him in, it might traumatize the boy to see his father like this. Sometimes in our desire to protect our children from bad sights we actually prevent good from happening. If Aaron were to see Jack and that he is okay and safe, he would know that the unsub had lied to him and would change his actions and attitudes, but since no one knows that Jack had been threatened they don't know that Aaron is merely playing a role. He wants so much to get out of the hospital and start his healing towards returning to life but doesn't know how to express himself.

Rossi is spending the afternoon with our boy in the hospital as they have decided that he is to have a friend or co-worker with him all times of the day for he is not to be left alone at all. Every few hours there is a change in 'babysitters' but he welcomes them to be there and wishes he could communicate with them but is still afraid for Jack. Rossi talks to him about little things that don't mean much but Hotch is glad he is there and is glad just to hear his voice. Angie comes in and watches the men converse when Rossi starts to talk about Kathy and she looks askew at him and wonders who Kathy is.

Rossi says, "Kathy would not be happy with you right now, you need to come back to us Hotch."

Angie asks, "Who is Kathy? He called me that several times in the car. Who is she?"

David says, "She was his best friend growing up. Dr. Kathy Moore and she passed away a few months ago." Angie pales when she hears what he says and her face hardens.

She says, "This is Kathy's Aaron?"

David says, "Kathy's Aaron? What do mean? Do you know Kathy Moore, Angie?"

"Yes, we went to college together, took the same subjects and went into the same medical specialty. She was a few years older but we roomed together and spent a lot of our time together except of course when she went home. She would go home on the weekends when Aaron was there. If I had known that this person was Kathy's Aaron, I would have left him in that cage and reveled in his being blown up." She turns and walks out the door of the room as both men look at her in confusion and Aaron actually whimpers.

David starts to walk out after her but then remembers that he can't leave Aaron alone. He goes to the phone and calls Spencer to come and stay with Aaron. Spencer arrives less than thirty minutes later and David asks him to stay with Aaron while he is out. He wants to go find Angie and find out why she hates Kathy's Aaron.

Spencer asks, "What has happened, what's wrong?"

David responds, "Just stay with Aaron and ask him."

"But he doesn't answer back."

"Maybe he'll talk to you." Spencer looks down at the man in the bed who scowls and shakes his head. Spencer looks up again as he sees David leave the room and his concern is great for his boss as he begins to talk to Aaron.

In another part of the hospital, Angie has been sitting in empty office thinking about her lost friend and crying as she thinks about that man upstairs and how he hurt her. She is in shock that she is finally meeting the man that Kathy talked about all those years. How Kathy had loved him and he ignored her. How she always would drop everything to be there for him but he never came for her during the times when she was hurting. Angie hates that man for the way he treated Kathy and yet she is so conflicted in that the man that she has met is not how she visualized Kathy's Aaron. She didn't want to like him or feel for him. She wanted him to be the uncaring bastard that she imagined, not the sweet, kind, gentle, scowling man upstairs.

She sees David walking by the office that she is sitting but does not try to connect with him. What do you say? She just said that she wished his boss had been blown up, how do you react or respond to that? But she knows that she cannot ignore her 'brother' forever. She does not consider herself that childish, but how do she explain her hatred of Kathy's Aaron and yet she doesn't hate that man upstairs. Going to the door, she opens it and looks down the hall to see him walking away.

"David." She calls out quietly and he turns around to see her. She walks back into the room and he quickly follows.

He asks, "Okay, what was that about upstairs. I distinctly felt a sense of hatred towards Aaron, why? What did do to you?"

"Oh David, Aaron never did anything for anyone, let alone me."

"You don't even know the man and he has done a great deal for many people."

"Yeah, that's why Kathy loved him because he was always a hero, a person who would sacrifice for others. He would usually put the needs or wants of others before himself. Her Galahad, pure, sweet, a hero, that's what she would say. But I don't believe that David. I saw her cry when he ignored her, I held her when he would say no, I was there when she was raped, not him. I was there during the trial when she helped convict the rapist. I didn't understand why she always made excuses or reasons for his neglect of the person he should have worshiped. I know what his mother did to him, but that is no excuse for his selfish treatment of Kathy. And that pseudo man upstairs right now is not the person that I imagined Kathy loved. He supposed to be strong, capable and gentle. I only see a gentle willful spoiled brat of a child. Why is he acting the way that he is, it doesn't make sense. When we got him here, he should have progressed forward. I mean I babied him for the trip to get here where they could put the IV in and he would begin to return to being an adult man. But he has gone the other way and I don't understand why. Of course, maybe it is because I didn't know that he was Kathy's Aaron. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to tell you that he had issues about diapers and bottles."

"But you didn't tell me what they were."

"You wouldn't listen and we needed to get him out of that place. I was hoping that it wouldn't affect him but maybe it did."

"Yeah, the methods that I used to help him might just be the problem of why he is regressing now. Or maybe not. If he really is someone who protects and cares for others then maybe…" The woman thinks about the actions of the man and compares them to what she knows of Kathy's Aaron and is confused. From what she knows of the man, he would not regress like this unless he was forced to do so, but how and why are the questions going through her mind. "I need to talk to him again."

"I don't think that is a good idea right now."

"I am calmer now David."

"Leave him alone."

"No." She walks out the door and heads back upstairs to Aaron's room. When she arrives, she says hi to Spencer and asks him to take a break. After Spencer leaves, she sits in the chair in the room and looks at the man sitting on the bed after locking the door. For fifteen minutes, he just ignores her and looks everywhere but where she sat looking at him. He even closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, but couldn't because he felt her eyes on him and he just became uncomfortable because he thinks that she could see into his very soul and would see the lies that he is keeping hidden. She gets up and goes to the small portable refrigerator that a member of the team had brought in earlier to keep drinks cold. She pulled out a baby bottle of apple juice and proceeds to the man's side. She holds it in front of him and challenges him to ask for it. He reaches for the bottle with his hand and she pulls it back and then he just opens his mouth for her to put the nipple in and with unhappiness she does so. It is not what she wants to do but she doesn't why he wants to do this. Because she doesn't think he does.

"Your brothers are worried about your competency to make decisions about yourself or others. They are petitioning the courts for guardianship and to declare you incompetent. That would not be a good thing for you Aaron as it would be difficult for you to regain control of your life. Either Sean or William will be in control, they will decide where you live, what you eat, what you wear and every aspect of your needs. You would not be allowed to work, Hayley could petition the courts to have full custody of Jack and no visitation in order to protect him from your inabilities to do for yourself. You would not be a father anymore. What you want would not matter in the very least and it would be a shame to declare a capable competent man that way. It is a shame that your current actions declare you incompetent even if your eyes don't declare it. I just am uncertain as to who you are trying to protect. I don't know of anybody in your life that is currently in danger of anyone, except yourself. You are the only one needing protection right now. If that jackass came, he would try to hurt you. Susan went after David, she wanted him not you, she didn't care about you. She didn't even realize that her brother had kidnapped the wrong person, but if he learned who really are, you could be very much in trouble. Being Kathy's Aaron could kill you." He looked at her with questioning eyes and his mind doesn't really understand why. Yes, he remembers that the man said that he was Kathy's. But what did Kathy have to do with his master?


	10. Babysitting Hotch

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Ten.**

"I look at you and I find it incredible that you are Kathy's Aaron and David's Aaron. Both have told me so much about you. I probably know more about you than any other person in the world. Kathy told me about your life before your marriage and David told me about your life after your marriage, when you abandoned Kathy. Oh, you sent her pictures and called her about your cases and she was there to talk to, to comfort you and to give you the stroke on your back that you did good. She made sure that you always remembered that you were a hero. David also talked about you and that you were a good agent, easy to work with, hard headed, stubborn and a true leader of people. Who are you really Aaron Hotchner? The spoiled brat who ignored the woman who made him who he was or the strong, virile gentle man who rescues those in danger and profiles the most sadistic, cruel and horrific of peoples."

He looks at her and wonders about her and did she really know about everything in his life like that.

"What do know of Kathy? Do you know anything about her life and what she did? Did you care? She would tell me all about you and your life, but what did you know about hers? Oh, sorry you don't talk anymore so you can't tell me what you know of her. Did you know that she had been raped by the very person who kidnapped you? She helped to convict him. You were a prosecutor yourself at this time, so you know about how to do that and what it takes to do it. You remember what you have to do to the victims of the crime in order to prosecute the perpetrator. You make them remember the crime over and over again, they have to relive it and Kathy was brutally treated by that man and then by the prosecutor. You could have helped, you could have talked with her and supported her but you didn't even answer her phone calls. Why didn't you answer her phone calls? The worst time of her life and you weren't there to help. She was always there for you but you couldn't bother to be there for her. That is why I have hated you for twenty years and now to learn that during that time you were saving others, you were the hero that she admired and loved makes it hard for me to hate you. I am sorry that I did this to you. If had known that when we rescued you the methods that I used to help you would cause you to regress and not be the man that you should be. A man who puts others before himself and protects them rather than looking for your needs. I am sorry."

She turns away and unlocks the door, after which David and Spencer came rushing in to check on the boss, who has tears in his eyes and wants so much to talk with and comfort the woman now leaving his room. He tries to get up and follow her but cannot stand on his legs. He falls into the arms of David and Spencer, who put him back into the bed. David tells the man, "You need to stay in bed. If you want something tell us and we'll get it for you." Aaron just looks at him with despair because he still doesn't believe that Jack is safe from that man and now he knows why the man did this but how can he stop this man? How can he protect his son, his brothers, his friends, his team and himself from his master?

Several days past

Our agent still has the attitude of not doing anything for himself, he refuses to talk, and he will not feed himself or chew food that is placed in his mouth. He refuses to do anything for himself, but just lies there and listens to the others talk to him. Penelope has brought several of her little people and has brought a stuffed lion to sleep with the boss. The day she brings it and places it in bed with him, she tells him, "This is someone for you to talk to since you won't talk to any of us. Remember that he is the leader just as you are our leader." The man did a slight smile before he scowled at the toy as it was placed in his arms. He wanted to throw it on the ground but kept it because he didn't want to hurt Garcia's feelings.

One of the agents, a friend or a brother was with the man twenty-four hours a day in three hour shifts. They still refuse to allow Jack to come and see his father even though the boy has begged his mom to let him. Angie comes daily to visit the man and still does not understand why he continues to regress. Physically he is healing and they plan to start him in physical therapy to begin to walk again and yet, mentally he has stopped. The hospital has assigned his a case worker and the agency has assigned him a personal psychiatrist.

Angie has decided to leave and return home. She has done her job of finding her brother and helping rescue his boss. She is saddened at the revelations that she learned in the past week and doesn't what she will do now. The woman that she has lived with for eighteen years is no longer there, the woman she went to school with is dead; her brother doesn't need her here and this sad gentle man that she has hated and loved for years is deteriorating before her eyes and she can't stop it. She can't stop it and doesn't want to watch it. She decides to go home to New York and her own life.

Sean has obtained a temporary guardianship order for the protection of Aaron and his interests; which basically means that Sean is in control of his brother and his needs, he has taken up residence in Aaron's apartment and sees his brother every day to talk to him about what he is doing. Aaron does not respond to Sean about what he is doing because he still believes that the unsub has Jack and if afraid that his master might hurt Sean as well. So he doesn't listen to his brother when he should. Sean is deciding what to do the Aaron when he is physically able to leave the hospital. Should he put him in living care facility or care for him at home? Sean has been discussing this with Rossi and the other agents of the BAU as well as the psychiatrist and mental health officials. He has visited some of the living care facilities that would take a case like his brothers. Not all are able to handle someone who requires extreme full time care. Sean is uncertain that he wants strangers looking after his brother and taking care of his personal needs and yet is also uncertain that he can do that himself.

Sean knows how his mother took care of Aaron but he wonders can he do the same thing to the man that he respects and admires above all men. Will Aaron need this for the rest of his life or can he be brought back from this regressive life? Can he take care of his big brother like this? Today, he comes by for his babysitting shift and Aaron is sleeping with the lion in his arms and still holding a bottle in his mouth. Sean removes the bottle and caresses his hair while looking at his big brother sleeping. He sits by the bed and reads more information about different facilities in the tri-state area. After about an hour, Aaron wakes up and sees his brother sitting there, he looks at the brochures that his brother brought in and picks one up. He reads one on a nursing home in D. C.; another is a group home and still another about home aide services. He looks quizzingly at Sean.

Sean answers, "You can't stay in the hospital forever. You will have to come home or enter a facility that can take care of you." Aaron shakes his head no and looks desperately scared about what his brother is saying. "You cannot take care of yourself anymore. You don't even feed yourself or chew or able to ask for assistance when you need it. You will need twenty-four hour care and I am not can do that for you." Aaron gets mad and shakes his head no. He throws the brochures across the room in a fit of anger and screams loudly. Sean just smiles wanly and says. "I expected that you would have a temper tantrum about it, but it is not going to change the fact that I have to choose something about what is best for you." Aaron gets angry at that as well and indicts to himself as if to say that he will choose what is best for him. "You can't choose what is best for you. You have been declared incompetent and I am your guardian. I make the choices for you and believe me it will not be an easy choice. I love you and I want what's best for you." He kisses Aaron on the forehead and begins to pick up the brochures that had been tossed around the room. A nurse comes in the room and proceeds to check Aaron's vitals and then to change his diaper. She leaves a bottle of milk for his next meal. Sean proceeds to feed his brother.

Aaron thinks on what his brother said about being his, Aaron's, guardian. He vaguely remembers Angie mentioning that his brothers were planning to do this but he didn't expect them to actually do it. He wonders what now. He is losing everything about himself. If Sean puts him in one of those places, will he ever get out again, once again Aaron is becoming scared of the future or the lack of control in the future. He starts to cry because he doesn't want this but is confused and befuddled is twisting him in the wind. Sean sees the tears on his brother's face and wipes them, he lifts the man forward and sits on the bed behind and gently places him in his arms while he continues to give him his bottle. Sean rocks Aaron in his arms and tries to soothe his big baby brother. Aaron feels good in these arms even if he really does not want to be held like this but he does not stop it. He cuddles closer to his brother as he drinks his bottle.

Meanwhile in an empty room in the hospital, the man is listening to everything that Sean says to Aaron and how Aaron reacted. He laughs and says to himself, I can't believe how good of a baby he actually came out to be. I wonder where I can find a small finger to send him. As he laughs and laughs.


	11. The Hotchner Connection

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Eleven.**

The next day

He was standing up on a parallel bar trying to walk through the bars without falling. The bars supported all of his weight since he refuses to really walk. He remembers his master saying that he had taken away his ability to walk and he thinks that if he walks, Jack might get hurt. He refuses to actually walk. Just as he refuses to chew, to talk, to do anything that would define him as anything but a baby. He must remain a baby in order to protect those he loves against his master. His physical therapist is there and encouraging him on, but the man refuses to do it. Eventually they stop and Aaron is put into his wheelchair. They put his stuffed lion into his lap since he refuses to go anywhere without it and take him back to his room where his current babysitter is waiting. Emily sees the man and smiles at him. She asks, "How did it go today, did you enjoy walking Aaron?" She fusses over him after they got him into bed. He points to the cooler and she goes and gets a bottle out for him. He then picks up the book that the team of babysitters is currently reading to him and she begins to read to him. This is the usual day for our team leader. He attends physical therapy in the morning and then swimming therapy in the afternoon and spends the day in his room with a babysitter who reads to him, feeds him and occasionally changes his diaper. He does nothing that would show that he wants to do anything for himself. He is just becoming more infantlike in his deeds if not his thoughts.

He is still thinking about what Sean said that he has to leave the hospital. He doesn't want to leave the hospital or live in a nursing home or rehabilitation center. They wouldn't let him have his team of babysitters with him, strangers would be the ones feeding him, cleaning him, shaving him, talking to him and he didn't want that. But how does he tell that to Sean when he refuses to talk.

Elsewhere in D.C.

He gets out the SUV and walks to the door, patiently waiting after knocking, the door finally opens.

"Hello Hayley. We need to talk about Aaron and Jack." Hayley looks at the man at her door and would rather slam the door in his face rather than talk with him about anyone. But she allows the man to come in and offers him a seat in the front room.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, thank you." He takes a seat while she goes to get some coffee. A little boy comes running from another room and screams while he launches himself at the man sitting on the couch.

"Hi, when did you get here? Did you bring me something? Have you seen Dad? Is he okay?" The man hugs the boy and tries to answer the torrent of questions being launched at him.

"Hi Jack, I just got here and of course I brought you something. I did see dad and he is doing fine except that he misses you and really wants to see you. Is there something that you want me to tell him?" He gets out a small bag with a pile of workbooks and coloring books for the boy attached to an action figure of spiderman.

"Tell dad I say hi and I hope I can see him soon. Thanks." He gets off the man and runs back out of the room when his mother comes in with the coffee.

"I see that you saw whirlwind Jack."

"The energy of the young is always a wonderful thing to experience."

"You wanted to talk about Aaron."

"He needs to see Jack. I think it would help him immensely to see that he has something to respond to and come back for, something more tangible than a job or money."

"Is he talking yet? Can he doing anything with Jack that would show that he even is able to teach or acknowledge Jack as a son and not just another child? I don't mean another child in the sense that he is a stranger's child. I mean that Aaron is a child right now, can he relate to Jack as an adult?"

"Angie thinks he would be able to, yes. She thinks that his physical manifestations are by choice because he is trying to protect someone. I think that someone is Jack."

"What is he trying to protect Jack from? If it is the man who did this to him then wouldn't it be better to keep Jack away?"

"I think that if actually sees that Jack is safe and the man cannot hurt or get to him, then he begin to heal emotionally and he will begin to talk and progress instead of regress. Please Hayley bring Jack into the hospital today to see his father."

"I will think about it, no guarantees but I will think about what you have said."

"Thank you, that's all I can ask for. Thank you for the coffee." The man gets up and leaves the house. Hayley goes to the door and looks out as he gets into the SUV which drives him away. She sees the other SUV on the other side of the road with its two agents and takes two cups of coffee to them agents inside.

"Here I know its gets cold out here on protection detail." The agents gratefully take the extended coffee. "Jack and I will probably be heading out later to run errands so keep a close eye out." She walks back to the warmth of house and wonders if this is going to natural from now on, always being watched and observed.

**Several hours later**

Aaron is once again in his room after his swimming therapy, he at least gets a work out from that as they place him in the water and have him float around and then work at exercising his muscles and keeping them in good condition. Spencer was with him this afternoon and they actually had him go in the water with his boss in order to give him someone to work off of. The men got playful in the water when the therapist did something unusual by splashing Aaron and he got into the fun of things. He was good in the water, even standing on his own legs and walking on them in the water. It showed that his inability to walk on the parallel bars was by choice not by inability. The swimming therapy is very good for our agent even though he doesn't really realize how good for him. When they got back to his room, he had an afternoon bottle and then took a nap. When he woke up a new babysitter was with him.

Aaron wakes up with Sean sitting next to him with those damned brochures again still trying to decide on what would be best for him. Aaron looks at them with a look of complete despair, he doesn't want to go to any of those places but how does he tell that to his brother intelligently. He asks Sean with his hands if he could see them again and Sean shakes his head.

"I don't think so Aaron, I don't want to play 52 pickup. You'll just have to let me read them and decide what is best for you. How are feeling right now?" He gets up from the chair and goes over to the bed where he proceeds to check and then change his diaper. He then gives a bottle of warmed up cream of rice which helps to provide fiber for the man. To give him all the vitamins, fiber and protein that an adult man needs in the form of just liquids is not easy. Aaron gets eight bottles a day: two protein drinks, one vegetable juice, two fruit juice, 2 fiber drinks and one bottle of whole milk. This and additional bottles of just plain water if he wants more are why he is always needing to be changed. He is actually becoming quite healthy physically. It is his mental health that is worrying people.

Sean wants to get Aaron out of the room for a while, even though Aaron doesn't want to go anywhere. But Sean thinks that the day room would be a good place to just sit for a while, so he bundles up Aaron and puts him in his wheelchair and pushes him down to the room. He then realizes that he forgot Leo the lion back in the room and that is why Aaron was complaining about not wanting to go. He likes to have his lion with him. Sean locks his wheels in the room and tells Aaron that he will be right back and runs back to the room. At the room, Hayley is just leaving the room with Jack and sees Sean.

"I thought Aaron would be here. You wanted me to bring Jack. We are here, where's Aaron?"

"I, um, he's in the day room, I've got to get something and get to back to him. We don't leave him alone. Why don't you go down to the end of the hall, take a left, first door on the right." He rushes past her into the room.

Meanwhile, back in the day room, Aaron is looking around and getting a little nervous, because he doesn't see anybody around. He whimpers and whimpers even louder when a voice comes behind and says, "Hello puppy, your babysitter had to leave you alone for a few seconds. I decided to take advantage and let you that I am still watching you. I have a gift for you." He places a small box on the man's lap. "Bye bye puppy, I'll be watching you." Aaron whimpers as he looks at the small box in his lap. He doesn't want it, where is Sean. He can take it away. Sean! Sean! As he whimpers louder and louder, he cries out when all of sudden he is touched on the shoulder.

Sean says, "It is okay Aaron, I am here. What is it? Why are you so scared?" Then he sees the box in his brother's lap. "Where did this come from? Who brought this to you?" Aaron only whimpers. Sean takes the box and removes it from Aaron's sight. "Aaron, you need to relax there is someone here to see you. Someone very important, he has missed you and he needs to see you in your best adult way. Sean calming voice is finally reaching the man inside and he looks at his brother. Someone to visit him, a stranger? Aaron looks at Sean with trepidation. "I will stay right here beside you. I am not going anywhere again." Sean turns to someone behind Aaron and reaches out to the person. He takes Jack's little hand and brings him into Aaron's line of sight.

"Hi Dad." Aaron looks at him and tears comes to his eyes as he looks at his beloved son. He reaches out his arms and the boy jumps into his lap. The man hugs and cuddles the boy as if he would never let him go.

The man finally speaks for the first time in two weeks, "Hello Jack, I have missed you. I love you son." Sean and Hayley look down at this sight of father and son reuniting and tears fill their eyes. Sean places his hand on his brother's head and the connection of the Hotchner males is powerful indeed.


	12. Assessing the Situation

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twelve.**

Three days later, Aaron's mental health is still in question and because even though he talks a little bit, the sentences are fragmented and very simple. He has still chosen to not to walk or eat food or anything that would define him as ready to resume his adult life. Sean is getting very worried along with the agents who have had to return full time to work even though they still try to spend some of each of their day with Aaron. One at a time they spend a few hours after work with their leader. David has been given temporary leadership of the team and really wants Aaron back, he doesn't want the responsibility. David thinks that Aaron is ready for Angie's type of mental health healing but Sean is cautious about it. David has told him about Angie and her connection with Kathy and Aaron and Sean isn't sure he wants Aaron to be with someone who doesn't like him. But Sean trusts David and allows him to ask Angie to come and see Aaron, but when he calls her, she is not as eager as he wants her to be.

"I don't think I should come and maybe make a bad situation worse. He is very vulnerable right now and I don't want to push it further. Did you ever tell him what was in that box?"

"No, we didn't tell him, he doesn't need to know that someone put a box of a dead child's index finger in his lap."

"Exactly, someone is still trying to torment that man. I don't want him to feel tormented by me because of what I do in the nursery. I break them down to build them up and return them to what they are inside without judgment. That is what I do, I don't know if I can do that with him. He's not like someone I don't know. My feelings for him might interfere with my being able to help him."

"Come and talk with Dr. Pitt and his psychiatrist, maybe between the three of you, you can come up with a way of helping him, otherwise I don't know what Sean can do with him."

"What do mean David?"

"Physically he is ready to leave the hospital, but mentally he is very infantile. He needs constant care and attention and Sean doesn't think he can do the job, so he's looking into an institution or group home or something like that, where they can take care of him in his infantile state."

"I will be there tomorrow to assess the situation, but no promises David."

**The Next Day (Wednesday)**

Angie arrives and begins to observe Aaron and read the reports. She consulted with Dr. Pitt and the psychiatrist assigned to him. Sean is the person with Aaron all day as he goes from therapy back to the room. Sean has been the person feeding him, cleaning him and talking with him. They play games between naps. She looks at this younger brother and is so proud of the way that he is caring for his brother. She knows a little of this man from Kathy and sees quite a bit of her in the man.

Aaron is sleeping when she walks into the room and introduces herself to Sean.

"So you're Angie, Kathy used to talk about you when she came home and she said you were a good friend."

"I didn't know that she talked about me."

"Yeah, I was just little kid but she said that if I ever needed anything that I couldn't get from Aaron to go to you. That you knew everything about the family."

"I don't think I knew everything."

"No, but I think you know a lot. Can you help him?"

"Do you think I can? For so many years I hated Kathy's Aaron."

"Yeah, I know and I don't understand why. Kathy loved Aaron more than anybody in the world and he loved her too, he would have done anything for her. I remember that time twenty years ago that David mentioned when you got upset with Aaron, he would call me once a month for about eight months. He said he wasn't allowed to make any more phone calls, it seems he was on a case that they had to keep the people working it in a very secure spot and incommunicado. Momma hated it because Aaron couldn't come home for his weekend during those months. He always asked if Kathy was okay, because she was calling him and sounded upset but he couldn't call her back. I didn't know what to tell him because I didn't know. Kathy didn't confide in me about her life like she did you or Aaron. He would tell me to tell her that he couldn't call her but that he loved her and was thinking about her. But I was a kid and didn't remember to tell her, I thought she knew. David told me what you said about that time. It wasn't Aaron that you should be mad at because I didn't give Kathy his messages." Angie listened to what this man tells her. That the anger she felt for Aaron was wrong and occurred because of a young boy's slippery memory. "I am sorry that you feel that way about Aaron but I want you to know that he would never deliberately hurt Kathy, he loved her too much. She was a sister, mother and secret lover for him. The man needed her more than you can imagine." Angie has tears in her eyes at this statement by Sean, because she knows in her heart, her anger wasn't because she felt that the man hurt Kathy, but because she was jealous of her best friend for having a man love her like that. Doesn't every woman want a man who puts her on a pedestal and believe that she can do no wrong?

She looks at the man sleeping on the bed and wonders if she can help him recover the person that he is hiding. She walks to stand beside him and sweeps a lock of hair off his forehead and smiles when he opens his eyes and says, "Can I spend thirty days in your nursery?" as clear as can be and with adult comprehension. She looks up and sees Sean looking at her from the other side of Aaron. His eyes were asking the same question and that power of the Hotchner men was overwhelming to her. When the Hotchners join together, nothing can sway them from getting what they want.

She tells Sean to bring him up Friday morning and walks out of the room. The men look at each other and smile and then Sean checks and changes Aaron's diaper after Aaron points to the cooler for a bottle. Don't make the mistake that Aaron doesn't know what he wants or how to get it.

What we have forgotten is that the reason that Aaron doesn't like to talk is because the unsub man can still hear what he says because of the transmitter on his neck. The transmitter has been overlooked during all baths and since Aaron had no throat or voice injuries, the neck and throat area is never checked. Only Aaron knows it is there and he does not bring attention to it because he is still afraid that his master can hurt the people he loves.

Friday morning arrives and the hospital has cleared Aaron to go, Sean had packed up the room the night before with everything that has to be cleared from the room. He had brought a pair of dockers a shirt, pullover, Velcro sneakers and two pairs of socks for Aaron to wear. He did not bring any underwear because Aaron would be in diapers when he leaves. He feeds a bottle to him and then fixes his overnight bag with extra clothes, diapers, lotion, powder, cleansing wipes and his daily bottles. He put all his food and his toys in the bag on the outside pockets of the bag. The BAU agents come in before work to say goodbye and let him know that they are waiting for him to come back to work. Spencer carries his bag while walking behind Sean pushing the wheelchair. Morgan has gotten the SUV car that Sean will be taking Aaron to New York in. They put Aaron in the backseat in the center of the seat, his bag next to him and he was buckled safely in. Sean had bought a harness which would hold the man upright in the seat, a head rest which would keep his head and neck in good order if he fell asleep and a booster pillow that he put on his lap to keep him from going too forward if the car needed to suddenly stop. He placed the lion in his arms and then Sean got into the driver's seat to take his brother to Angie's nursery. Will this be a blessing or a curse for our leader? Can he really get back from where he had hidden himself?


	13. The Playroom

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirteen.**

Sean called her to tell when they arrived in the city and that they would soon be there. She stands at the window in her office looking out the window and a little anxious about whom it is that is coming here to her home. Aaron Hotchner. A man she has heard about for twenty five from the two most important people in her life and now he is coming to be under her control. She has fully prepared the nursery for him and completely cleared her calendar so that she may devote all her time to him. She feels all giddy and excited inside like a girl waiting for her first date to arrive. Yet the man coming is not a date but a client who needs to come back from where his mind has taken him. She hopes that she can bring him back and not make the problem worse. She sees the black SUV arrive and park in front of the building.

Sean gets out of the vehicle and gets the wheelchair from the back. He takes it to the side door on the sidewalk and opens the door. He takes out the bags and the removes the booster from in front of Aaron. He then unbuckles the seatbelt and removes the harness from the car, but not from the man. He pulls the man closer to the door and places his feet on the ground firmly next to the chair. He lifts the man and pivots him to the chair and gently places him in to the chair and attaches the harness to the chair so that he sits up straight. He puts his feet on the pedals and takes the bag on his shoulder while he pushes the chair away from the car. He shuts the door and locks the car. He pushes the chair to the ramp that had been built to allow the disabled into the building. At the top of the ramp he pushed the door bell and Angie tells him to come on in as the door opens for the men to enter.

They enter into a foyer where they are encouraged to remove their coats and shoes and boots, while slippers are provided for them to put on their feet. Sean hangs up the coats and places the footwear in the rack. A door opens up to the right into which Sean pushes Aaron. It is an office of ancient mahogany wood and looks like a library for all the thousands of books surrounding the room and expanding to the top of the five story building. A sky light shines down all stories. At each story there is a small ledge which a stair is hung and goes around the circumference of the room. On the floor there is a Wooten desk behind a formidable attorney desk with a large red velvet wheeled chair between them. In front of the desk is a set of red velvet armed chairs for clients. The whole room looked old and with expensive well used furniture. It definitely reflected this woman, there is dust yet controlled, it is more from indifference rather than from neglect. There are stacks of magazines, catalogs and publications all around the floor and in racks on the walls. They represent every type of hobby, lifestyle, career and anything that you can think of. There are no pictures on the walls which are taken up by racks and shelves. There are some photos on some shelves but most of the room is taken up by printed materials, such as books, magazines, catalogs, publications and binders of printouts. In this chaos of paper, stands a woman with a smile welcoming them.

"Hello Sean, Aaron, welcome to my home."

Sean answers, "Hi Angie, thank you for having us." Aaron doesn't say anything, he just continue to look around the room. "Sorry, sometimes he is just rude."

"Don't worry about it as I expect that type of response from all the babies that come to me." Aaron looks at her and scowls. She winks at him with a small smile. His mouth scowls while his eyes laugh. "Why don't we take Aaron to the playroom so that you and I can talk, Sean?" She leads the men into the room next door which is well lit and brightly colored with pastels and primary colors spread all over the place. There are tumbling rugs, tables and chairs to sit at, painting easels, a water table, a sand table, a Lego table, blocks, trucks and cars and many types of dolls and stuffed animals spread all over the place. She bends down and talks to Aaron face to face, "What would you like to do?" He points back into the office and she shakes her head no. "You don't get to sit in on what Sean and I talk about." He scowls again and looks at Sean with a request to do so.

"We are doing this Angie's way, she's the boss." Aaron looks angry at that as he points to himself. "I don't know what you mean by that."

Angie laughs a little and says, "He says that he's the boss."

Sean looks at her and then Aaron, "Sorry Aaron, she's the boss. If you don't want to do anything in here, that's fine. Then just sit there while Angie and I go talk about you staying here." They go back into the office. "Well."

"There is a contract that as Aaron's guardian you have to sign, which basically gives me legal control over Aaron for thirty days. I can do whatever I want to him except kill him and if anything I do puts him in the hospital then our deal becomes null and void. You would not have to pay for my services and I would no longer be his legal caretaker. You will not be able to contact him or have any say as what happens to him during the time that he is mine unless he winds up in the hospital."

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"What will you do to him?"

"I can't answer that Sean. Please don't ask. What I do is for him and sometimes friends and family don't understand the process but they do appreciate the results."

"Okay, I understand. This is his bag of stuff, diapers, his food, bottles…."

"You can take that home with you. I have all the supplies that I need."

"What about his toys, especially his lion."

"Take it home and keep it safe for him. Keep yourself and Jack safe as well. Good bye Sean."

"Can I say good bye to Aaron?"

"Yes." Sean goes into the room where Aaron had rolled himself over to the Lego table and began to put together a project. Sean walks over to him and sits in a chair at the table next to him. The men look at each other and without words say good bye, Aaron reaches up for a hug that Sean melts into. Sean kisses Aaron's forehead and Aaron kisses Sean's cheek. The men separate and Sean leaves the room and heads back to the D. C. area.

Angie looks at the man at the table and then turns back into her office where she works on some paperwork and checks on her boy from the various security cameras in the room. She does get up to prepare some lunch for herself and her baby boy.

Aaron is sitting at the table and putting the blocks together. He doesn't have anything in mind to what to build so he is just randomly putting the blocks together. He doesn't feel very comfortable however. He is hungry and has a full diaper that needs to be changed. He wonders where Angie is and why she is not taking care of him like she was supposed to do. He tried to turn the chair around, except that the tires wouldn't move. It seems a block had fallen off the table and got caught behind one of the wheels, essentially locking it into place. He growls and whimpers and whines because he can't move, he decides to let Angie know that he is not happy and to pay attention to him by screaming. She hears it even without using the baby monitor. He is definitely going to be a loud baby. She takes the lunches into the playroom and goes over to the man in the chair. She checks to find out the problem with the chair and removes the block so that she can move it and takes Aaron to the changing area.

Placing her arms under his arms, she lifts the man from the chair and places him on the changing table, where she proceeds to clean him and change his diaper. She then lifts him and carries him to the feeding area, which consists of a double rocking chair that she sits in and he lies across her lap and the other half of the chair; she cradles his head in her arms and places a bottle into his mouth and then while he feeds she eats a sandwich that she made for herself. She smiles indulgently at her big baby while she rocks him in her arms.

After two bottles and a short cuddle time on the rocking chair, Angie gets up and places Aaron on the floor. He furls his eye brow and points to the chair. She shakes her head no and takes the chair into the other room to be stored.

"There will be no using of the wheelchair here, if you want to move from one place to another, you must show me that you want to be carried or you walk yourself or you crawl or move yourself there somehow. There are very few rules here. The most important is that I am the boss, what I say is what is done. The second thing you need to remember is that you can cry, scream, pout, get angry, break down, anything and it is save here for you to do so. You can kick or hit or anything like that as well and it is okay. I can control that. If you attempt to harm yourself, it will be prevented. You will be on a strict schedule, I am not here to keep your sensibilities, I don't care what you feel or if are being disrespected or shamed or humiliated. I plan to do just that, cause you to feel these things, I want to you to feel those things. My goal is bring back the man that you have hidden and I will do whatever is necessary to do that and many times that means embarrassment or humiliation on your part. Please be aware that I don't care what other people think. I cannot be embarrassed because of what happens to you." While she is speaking to the man, she is picking toys up and putting some away, while getting others out. He just sat where she left him and did not move while he listened to her and begins to wonder what he got himself into.

She goes into the room next door and starts to prepare things for her baby's first bath. She leaves the door open so she can keep an eye on him and he can see her and knows that she hasn't left him. He just sits there and looks at the door and then at the door where she put the wheelchair, he decides that he wants the chair and begins to crawl to the door. When he gets there, he discovers the door is locked and he can't get to the chair. He cries out in frustration and he turns around to see if she is watching what he is doing. She gives the appearance that she doesn't even know he moved. She has continued to work at getting his bath ready. He finds it irritating that she is not paying any attention to him and watching what he does so that he can get what he wants. He decides to let her know that he doesn't like being ignored. He goes over to the water table and tries to turn on the water and cannot. He screams in mild protest and hits the table; he next tries to turn over the sand table and then throws the toys across the room. Our agent is having a tantrum, he does not like being ignored or not being able to go wherever he wants or have whatever he wants and he wants to use the wheelchair. Angie walks into the room and sees toys all around and a sullen, pouty big baby man sitting in the middle of it. It took all of her willpower not to laugh out loud. Of course, she has seen these actions before from others, so it is not unusual in her eyes.

"Looks like someone had fun." He looks at her sullenly and points to the door with the wheelchair. "No and don't ask again." He growls in frustration and throws a block at her. She walks toward him and lifts him up by placing his feet on hers and bringing him upright. She takes a paddle that is made of feathers bonded together with strips of balsa wood from the belt at her side and whacks him on the backside with it. Although, it caused no pain just a sensation of something bumping him, it surprised him when she did it. She looks at him and says, "You do not throw things at me, you can throw them at the wall or across the room but not at another person." She picks him up and places him in a large tall chair in the corner where she leaves him for 15 minutes. As he sits he finds it hard to fathom that she just put him in a time-out chair and swatted him once with a soft paddle. What is next?


	14. Baths and Escapes

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Fourteen.**

What's next is that it is time for a bath for our agent. Angie has the tub ready and just needs to get her man, who isn't so little at six foot two inches tall at approximately 180 lbs. She has no doubts of her abilities as she picks him up from the time out chair and carries him into the bathing chamber where she places him on the changing table and removes his clothing and diaper. Once he is nude she than lifts him and places him into the tub. The tub is not a normal adult style tub, but is about two feet above the floor and is about 24 inches deep and 66 inches long with a form fitted seat. It is at a height where she can wash her baby while standing up and have more control over him.

The man sits there and is looking at her in the eye and as usual she has a slight smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She begins to wet his hair gently and with great care as he looks at her, she places a gentle shampoo on him and begins to wash his hair after which she leans him back into the form seat and places his back where she rinses his hair and the water drains down the back of the tub into a drain. After his hair she begins to wash his face and neck and is puzzled at something she sees on the side of his neck, it doesn't feel right to her fingers. It feels like a piece of plastic tape on his skin, he senses that she has found the transmitter and puts his hand on his neck to hide it. She gently puts his hand back down but he puts it there again and she attempts to remove his hand a second time, but he refuses to move it.

"Aaron, remove your hand from your neck." He shakes his head no and squeezes his neck more with his own hand. "Aaron I will ask one more time to remove your hand from your neck." He looks like he is going to cry but does not remove his hand. Angie decides not to fight him on the subject but continues to clean his torso and then moves down to his personal area, where she washes him gently before moving down to his legs and washes his strong, muscular thigh, to his knees and his still healing calf. The calf is looking good and is healing very nicely but is still tender to the touch. She washes his ankles and then his feet and she decides to try a something on his feet. She wonders if he is ticklish there and what is reflex is. She takes her nail and scrapes the edge down the foot and he responds as he should, bending at the knee. He has good reflexes and she looks at his head where he still has his hand on his neck, she then begins to softly brush up against the sole of his foot and the back of his knee, he tries to hide it but it does invoke a response of slight uncomfortableness because it tickles. She does it again and this time he brings the leg up to scratch the tickling feeling with the hand that he removes from his neck. She places her hand on his and then proceeds to check his neck with her other hand. He realizes that she tricked him and starts to squirm to get prevent her from seeing the receiver patch on his neck. She restrains his hands with attached soft plastic tub bracelets. Once that was done she looked closer at the piece of plastic on his neck and peels it off, she looks at what is on it and looks at Aaron. "Do you know what this is?" He just glares at her without answering. "Once you entered this building, whoever was listening on the other end has been getting nothing but static, even the CIA has difficulty listening here, because of the dampening forces I have on it. It is one of the most secure information buildings, many of my clients like to talk about what they build and create and do. If that knowledge got out, national security could be at risk. You would be surprised what I know and receivers and transceivers are useless here. You can talk freely. Who was on the other side of this?" He just glared at her. She put the device into a plastic bag and took it to her office. She was gone less than thirty seconds before Aaron got to be very nervous and wondered where she went. He didn't like to be alone. Anytime he was alone, the unsub talked to him and did something bad to him. He thought that might happen now that he didn't have the receiver on him. He closed his eyes and whimpered when he heard someone come in the room and remove the restraints. He squeezed his eyes even more closed. His torso was gently pulled up and a cloth was being used to wash his back and down to his bottom, the hands were careful and gentle on his body. He finally opens his again and sees Angie looking at him. "I see you decided to join me again. Do you want to tell me what you feeling just now? Why did you close your eyes? Did it make the bad man go away?" She kissed the top of his head. He couldn't answer the questions because he felt embarrassed of the way he acted, believing that just closing his eyes would keep the bad away. He felt so infantile.

After the bath, Angie dressed him in a dry diaper and a cute green sleeper style crawler with footsies. He thought he was going to throw up when he saw it and was going to fight her putting it on him, when he thought that she probably expected that so he let her dress him in the crawler. After his bath, she carried him to the rocking chair for a bottle of warm fiber cereal. He fell asleep in her arms while feeding and she placed him in his crib for his nap.

While Aaron was napping, Angie took the piece of plastic and had sent by messenger to the local FBI office to have them send it ASAP to Quantico for analysis by David and his team.

Back at Quantico, they had brought Susan to talk to her about where her brother might be hiding. She was less than helpful about his whereabouts, so they sent her back to the jail where she is being kept while waiting for trial, since she did not pay her bail, she is staying in jail. However, on the way back to her cell, there was an accident and she escapes from custody. Once this was heard by the unit, there was talk about where to look for her and if Hotch would be safe with Angie, but it was JJ who came up with another scenario.

"We have to protect Rossi from her." There was some looks of not complete understanding. "He was the one that she wanted in the first place, remember. Hotch was a mistake in her eyes, she wanted Rossi in that dungeon, not Hotch."

Morgan responds. "She's right, the letter said brother and Angie thinks of you as her brother Rossi. You are at risk."

Rossi shakes his head and says, "I don't think I am anymore because of what she did in the hospital with Hotch. She's not after me anymore. We need to let Angie know and to work at keeping Aaron safe from this brother/sister team." The team is interrupted in the round room by a messenger from the New York office. He delivers the package with the receiver. The note states that Angie found this on Aaron's neck and believes that it is what the unsub used to control the man and to know where he was and what he was doing at all times. "This is why Aaron is still in danger from these people." Another messenger arrives and is brought to the round room and he hand delivers a package to David and leaves. In the package are three dead flowers and a note that says it should be four.

Morgan looks at that and places his hand on David's shoulder and says, "Do you still believe that you not a target for that woman? That woman wants you dead, the man wants Hotch."

David just looks at the flowers and crushes them in his hands as he thinks of that bitch and how she had sent these for twenty years to Angie, tormenting her about the death of her parents and her brother Stephen. He wants this woman dead, not just in jail, but dead. As he was thinking about this woman and what he wanted to do to her. The other members of the team were thinking how they could protect both of the men in their team and in what way to catch the brother/sister team. They send the receiver down to forensics to discover where it may be sending it information to and then they discuss on who was to be with Rossi. They feel that he should not be alone now because of that woman. She caught Hotch because he was alone. Until they are caught, our two men should not be alone. They believe that Hotch is safe with Angie right now and are discussing Rossi. He finally breaks out of his thoughts and hear what they are talking about, babysitting him. He speaks up and says, "I don't need a babysitter, I can take care of myself, thank you very much for your concern, but no." There are protests from each of our agents that it is not babysitting as much it is just keeping him safe from that woman. "I am not Hotch and I don't need to be protected."

Spencer says, "You could be Hotch." Everyone looks at him. "The man kidnapped the wrong person as it was supposed to be you on that DVD and on the live feed that he sent to us. You were the one they wanted to treat like an animal and then blow up. You are supposed to be Hotch. Do you think that you could be where he is right now trying to recover who he is? The people who did that to him wanted to do it to you and they are still out there. Which means that you are at risk of them still doing it to you, please let us help to make sure that doesn't happen. Isn't bad enough to lose Hotch to them, we don't need to lose you also."

Morgan says, "The kid makes a point Rossi."

Prentiss speaks up with, "We need you as our leader Rossi, with Hotch out; we need you. Let us help to keep you safe."

Rossi looks at his team and knows that if it were any of them he would be insisting on them having someone with them, but damn it, he doesn't want to be followed around by anybody else. He likes his alone time, but he agrees with their logic. He hates to admit it, but maybe being with someone else might keep him from becoming like Hotch. He says, "Well who is my first babysitter?"

Spencer speaks up and says, "I am. You will come and stay with me for a few days and then with someone else. Every few days you will go with a different person. Morgan can go to your house now and get whatever you want until you can go back home. You won't be going home until they are caught."

"It seems you made some decisions then for my care."

"Not really, but I think we can go by ear on that." Rossi smiles and nods his head.

While our team is discussing how to protect David, Aaron has wakened from his nap. He stretches out feels the bars on the sides of the crib and opens his eyes to experience a feeling of déjà vu. It has been a long time but he gets the same feeling of helplessness and dependency that he did then. He gets on his knees and looks around as he discovers the top of the crib is extremely high because even on his knees he still looks through the bars of his crib. He tries to stand but his calves are still too weak for him to do that without support on both sides of him. He feels hungry, wet and cold and scared of being alone. Where is everyone? David? Spencer? Derek? Kathy? Mommy? His mind is befuddled as he struggles to break through the thoughts of helplessness. He lets out a scream and tears start to flow down his cheeks as he wants someone, anyone, to come and help him. He stops when he sees Angie come in the door.

"Well, hello sweetheart, did you rest well?" She goes to the crib and moves the rail up and away from him to lower it so that she could lift him out easily. He held out his arms and sank deeply into her arms when she lifted him and took him to the changing table. As she changes him, she says comforting and calming things to the man and then takes him to be fed two bottles. After the feeding, she then takes her man to a spot in the playroom that had a lot of sensory toys around. She puts him on the rug and then sits behind him. They sit there together while he reacquaints himself with feelings and senses of touch, sound, sight, taste and smell.

She sits behind him and guides him but is not sure that she likes this. She smells the fresh soap and baby smell of him, but underneath she revels in the scent of the man and she doesn't understand why that smell makes her feel so uncertain. She has done this type of work with hundreds of people of all ages, shapes, sizes and both sexes and has never wanted to do anything else. But with this man, she doesn't want to do this. She wants to rub his shoulders, caress his torso, kiss the back of his neck; she doesn't want to do this current act with this man. This is a man in her arms, not a baby and she wants him as a man. She berates herself for these thoughts, her job is to help bring him from the hidden place out to the light again, so that he can progress from the infant behavior and not to scare him into going further in his mind. She needs to focus on progressing him on his time frame not hers. She has to remember that he was a man and she needs to work to become that man again, slowly and with care. She knows her methods work. She needs to be patient and focus on his needs right now, not on the desires of her own body.

She thinks to herself, can I really do this? She hugs the man and he looks back at her showing that dimple in his cheek.


	15. Regression

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Fifteen.**

Eighteen days go by and David is getting more and more irritated because it seems that Susan and her brother have disappeared off the face of the earth and he can't seem to get rid of his babysitters. Every three days, he goes to stay with someone else. Today he is with Penelope and her little people and he is ready to give them all a burial down the disposal. It isn't that he doesn't appreciate his co-workers for their concern and sacrifice for putting up with him but he just wants to be alone for awhile. Every day they go to the office and there is another box of dead flowers waiting for him. The flowers can be picked up from anywhere, so they haven't been able to pinpoint where Susan is getting them. She pays these messengers to deliver them. They all describe the same person but it always a different messenger every day and she gets them from anywhere she can find them. Most have been students who would just love to get some extra cash. They did a get a break eight days ago when they were asked to help out on a case in Mississippi but it didn't last for more than a few days and the flowers were there when they got back.

This morning Penelope and he came in and he put his bag in his office, he goes with Morgan tonight, Yippy he thinks. He is beginning to feel like the foster child who goes from home to home and he is not a happy man about it. He sees the flowers on his desk and goes to crush them and throw them in the trash, he notices that today, there is tulip, a rose and a tiger lily. Those seem significant somehow, but he can't seem to remember from what they would be. He throws them away and continues on doing some work write-ups.

In New York, Angie is trying to get a hold of someone by telephone. The phone rings at the other and a woman answers, "Hello."

"Hello Hayley is Jack available to talk to Aaron today, just to say good morning."

"He is getting ready for school right now."

"I was hoping in about ten minutes, if that would be okay. You could call and I would have Aaron ready. He really just needs to hear his voice and know that he is happy and okay. Please Hayley."

"I will have him ready in ten minutes, but you call here."

"Okay, ten minutes." She then proceeds to have the sound protection opened up so that the signal could leave the nursery and walks to the nursery where Aaron is sleeping in his crib. She looks at the sleeping man and brushes that errant lock of hair off his forehead and thinks about the past many days of working with him. Although, he is progressing, he in not doing as much as she would like him to be doing and so it her hope that a talk with his son might spur him off his plateau. She gently nudges the man to encourage him to waken

He says, "Go away, sleepy."

"Time to wake up angel." When he hears that word, he messes himself, even though he is still half asleep. "Oh my, smells like we have a messy diaper." She puts down the side of the crib and reaches down to pick up her sleepy man. She takes him to the changing table and strips off his night sleeper and removes his messy diaper. She cleans him up and is still trying to nudge him further awake so that he could talk to Jack. She is fastening the diaper when she begins to dial Hayley again. "Good morning again, is he available?"

"Yes."

"Hello Jack, would you say hi to daddy really loudly, as loud as you can." Angie places the phone next to Aaron's ear and an excited little voice comes over in a very loud voice saying, "GOOD MORNING DAD!" Aaron's eyes open and his hand go to the phone where he says, "Jack is that really you?"

"Yeah Dad, it is really me. How are you?" Still very loudly.

"Good morning Jack and I am doing great now that I am hearing your voice. What have you been doing lately?"

"Not much, just school and playing at home. What have you been doing? Can I see you?"

"Well, we won't be able to see each other for a while but I am doing well. I love you Jack and I am doing much better whenever I hear your voice. "

"Mom says I gotta get off to go to school. I love you Dad. Get well so we can see each other."

The phone goes dead in Aaron's hand, he looks at Angie and says, "Thank you."

"Are you ready to do some big boy things today or are we still younger than Jack?" She looks at him expectantly.

"I'm cold." She dresses him into a coverall with a pair of socks.

"Will you walk today?" He sits on the edge of the changing table and looks her in the eye as she has stepped back from him.

"Pick up." Disappointed, she goes and lifts him from the table and takes him to the feeding chair. She is not holding him for most of his bottles now and is encouraging him to chew food again. She sits next to him and begins to spoon feed the man, he has been started on solid food for about six days now and although, his mind rebelled against it in the beginning because he didn't want to upset his master. But he believes Angie when she says that his master can't find him and that it is okay to do big boy things like chew food and walk and talk. His mind is still confused sometimes but daily it is getting better. Today he got to talk to Jack and so he knows that his master doesn't have him. Jack is still protected.

He chews his oatmeal with bananas as she places the food in his mouth, he still refuses to pick up a spoon himself, but she is hoping in the next few days. She is always hoping for more. After his solid food, he then gets a bottle of juice and then they start the days exercises and work ups. She has him work on his leg muscles to encourage him to walk and they are doing language exercises to get him talking and reading. She works with him to begin to write again and be able to communicate with others. His penmanship is horrible but that's why you do exercises.

Three days later, David has once again brought his bag to work, he is going to Spencer's tonight and of course sees the flowers again, a rose, a tiger lily and a tulip. Once again he thinks that is significant, but can't think of how it can be.

In New York, Angie is getting ready to forget the whole thing. For the first time, she feels like a failure in being able to help a client. Aaron has not improved at all in days and refuses to do anything that he should be at the level to do. Since talking to Jack, he has stopped talking all together, he won't stand or walk on his own, he stopped eating solid food yesterday and every time she tries to feed him, he purses his lips. He will only accept the bottle and will not hold it himself. It is as if he is regressing again and she doesn't understand why. She is considering calling Sean and having him come early to pick him up, because she doesn't think that anything more can be done. Aaron is at the level that he could be at for the rest of his life.

Aaron is sitting on the floor playing with some toys watching Angie through the door as she sits in her office. He knows that she is frustrated with him, but how can he explain that he is trying to protect the people he loves. If he stays this way, the man won't hurt them. It seems all of our profiler's instincts and knowledge has gone by the wayside as the torture hit home. He just can't think beyond that he has to sacrifice his own sanity and abilities to protect them. Even here, they are watching him because that woman came to see him two nights ago.

_FLASHBACK_

_Two nights ago, Aaron is sleeping in his crib and Angie has gone to bed, when a shadow comes beside the crib and looks at the sleeping man. The shadow pokes the man, who wakes startled and looks at the figure. "Hello puppy." The man whimpers, "No", he thought he was safe here. "Be quiet puppy. You have been a very good puppy but you are not obeying your master's orders, no talking, no walking, and no chewing food. Remember you have to be a baby and the people you love will be okay, otherwise I will take your little boy and cut him up. I will take your brother and slice him like a ham. I will take your little genius and make sure he joins his mommy. I will take your co-workers, one at a time into the dungeon and whip them till the bleed to death. You obey the rules and they are safe. I am still watching you puppy." The shadow leaves._

_End FLASHBACK_

In the office, Angie is talking with Sean about Aaron telling him the progress he had made and yet he now has regressed again. She is telling the man that she doesn't think she can help Aaron, he is beyond her capabilities and she believes that there is nothing more that can be done for him. She tells him to think about whether he can take care of him or if Sean feels that it is too much for him then the man needs to be put into a home that can care for him. Aaron had crawled to the door to listen to what Angie was talking about and when he heard this, tears came to his eyes. He hadn't thought that he would be put away in a home because he trying to protect his family. He knows that if that happens he will never get out again.

Sean thanks Angie and hangs up. He thinks about what to do with this older brother, He doesn't want to put him in a home, but he needs his big brother, can he really take care of him instead of the other way around. He looks around the apartment and thinks how it can be set up for his big baby brother. He calls William and asks for his opinion about what to do with their big brother.

Angie leaves the office and looks around to see her man and sees him in a corner trying to look as small as possible. She walks over to him and bends down to lift his face to look at her and notices that he has been crying. "Oh baby, what is the problem, why are you crying?" He reaches up to her and she lifts him up and carries him to the rocking chair for some cuddling. "I wish you would talk to me and tell me what it is you are thinking." She rocks him and cuddles him as much as she can in order to soothe the upset man. He thinks how can I tell her that I am only doing what I do to protect those I love.


	16. A Talk with Sean

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Sixteen.**

Later that afternoon

Sean is once again on the phone with Angie, he feels at a loss of what he should do. If he doesn't want to put Aaron in a home than he needs to take care of him at home, but he has no idea of how to take care of a small baby let alone an adult baby like Aaron is right now. He decided to go on-line and look into what he should do and there are thousands of ideas out there. He is shocked at how big the adult baby community is and is talking to Angie about what he should do.

"The first thing you do is relax, take a deep breath and then decide on how exactly you want to deal with him."

"What do mean?"

"Aaron is not a baby, not really although he is acting a great deal like one, I believe it is by choice not by psychological deficiency. He is in a situation where he feels that the only way he can protect the people he loves is by sacrificing his own sanity and life. That is what the problem is here. If you want to truly infantilize him by fully involving him as the way he is currently acting, well there are a lot of places where you can purchase furniture, clothing and accessories for him as an adult baby. Do you want to do that Sean?"

"I don't know I just want my brother back. This sounds like a lot of struggle, I don't know if I can do it."

"Well then what is the alternative?"

"The alternative? Putting him into one of those group homes or a nursing home is the alternative."

"Which is the lesser of the two evils in your mind?"

"I don't want him in one of those places, but can I really take care of him?"

"Remember Sean, there are support groups, you have friends and family that can help and support you. Don't leave them in the dark. If you want him at home, then prepare a place for him. What do you think you will need to provide him a safe and enjoyable environment for him to live?"

"Okay, well, let's look at furniture, what should I get him? I mean, should I put him in a crib, what about a high chair, a playpen, or a changing table. What about diapers, I mean I know you and the hospital were using disposable, what about cloth with plastic or rubber pants, would that be better for him? What about clothes, should l get crawlers and sleepers and onesies or just keep in adult style clothes just slightly modified? What about food, is he completely still bottle fed, how do I make sure he gets enough nutrients? What about outside the house, do I keep him in a wheelchair or should I have a stroller made? How about a car seat for protection in the car? What about if he gets sick, what kind of medicine do I give him, adult or baby? What about a play area or things that keep him occupied and safe? I need to get outlet covers and make the place baby safe too. This is overwhelming to me Angie, where do I start?"

"You called me and that is a good place to start. First of all, with the diapers, it all depends on whether you want to wash the cloth diapers and the plastic or rubber pants that you would use with them. If you don't want to wash them, then use disposable. But remember they are not a cheap alternative to cloth."

"Okay, maybe a little of both styles. I'll think about that. What about furniture? Should I get a crib for him?"

"Do you think a crib would help him feel more safe or secure in the home? Remember, he spent a lot of his childhood and life in a crib and we don't want to make the problem worse for the man."

"You know something Angie; if he has chosen to do this to himself then he deserves to be treated in the way that he has chosen to live. If he wants to live like a baby, then we should treat him like one. I think I will get a crib for him, but most of them that I see online require 28 days or more of building before I get one, Aaron comes home in 9 days. Do you know of a place where I can get it expedited?"

"Are you sure about a crib?"

"Yes."

"Then I will send you one that I have here. Mine are specially made to my specifications and Aaron is getting used to the style."

"Great, when can you send it?"

"In a few days, what else do you want to get for your brother?"

"Well, since he is wearing diapers, he will probably need a changing table and I think I can get one of those easily. What about a high chair? Do you think that would really be necessary? Can't I just put him in an armchair and feed him in that?"

"Yes, that is definitely doable. You don't need a high chair and he doesn't really feed like that anyway. You can give him a bottle anywhere, besides he likes to be held when he has a bottle, so you might consider getting a double rocker."

"A double rocker, okay, any particular brand or kind that you recommend?"

"No, they are all good and just choose one that is going to be comfortable on you and him. When it comes to feeding, comfort matters on both the baby and the person feeding the baby."

"Okay, comfort matters when feeding. How about play? What would you recommend?"

"When it comes to play, make your own choices on what you think Aaron would enjoy doing and go from there."

"How about clothes, should I buy baby clothes or can I just get a larger size of adult clothes to fit over his diapers."

"Again, that would be your choice and how you want to deal with Aaron, as an adult in baby form or a baby in adult form. That is up to you."

"Okay, you've given me a lot to think about and prepare for. Don't forget to let me know when you are sending the crib. Thanks Angie."

"You're welcome and I will let you know about the crib, Good bye Sean."

She hangs up and leans back in her chair to ponder what this means for that man in the other room. How will he react to what his brother is doing? Will it help him or hurt him? Angie continues working on what she had been doing when Sean called. She likes to check out the security cameras every few days to see if something came up that she needed to attend to, when she saw the video of Aaron's room from the night before, she saw something that chilled her to the bone. At least now she understands his regression. She takes the video feed and emails it to Garcia in Quantico to have her and the team check it out. Looking at the current feed, she notices her man is waking up from his afternoon nap and gets up to go get him.

"Hello Sweetie, did you rest well?" He nods his head yes while reaching out to her. She picks him up and takes him to be changed. "Sean called and we had a long talk about you." He wrinkled his forehead at that. "He's afraid that he can't handle the situation. He doesn't want to put you in a home but is afraid that he can't do a good job and care for you as you deserve. He wants what is best for you, not himself or anyone else, but you. You aren't able to care for yourself right now but he is afraid that he can't do it. He called me for advice about what he needed to do in order to take care of you. What do you think he should do?" The man wanted to answer that Sean did not have to do anything, that he can take care of himself, but he did not say anything. In his heart he knew he could take care of himself but his mind says that he must stay a baby in order to protect those he loves. How can Sean protect and take care of him when he is doing this to protect Sean? It is his responsibility, not Sean's. Angie watches as the facial expression of this man ponder the dilemma inside of his head. Does he progress or does he continue to be regressive and a baby? He is doing this to protect his brother. Which way would protect him the most?

She carries him to the feeding chair and provides him with a bottle of fruit juice. As she rocks, she continues to talk and says, "He has decided that he going to try to take of you and provide a home for you. He asked for advice as to what he should get. What type of furniture, food, clothing and toys should he get for you? He is thinking long term that your situation won't be changing anytime soon. He has gone online and found a lot of information and places that he can get cribs, changing tables, high chairs, play pens and clothing for adult babies. I guess that is what you are right now, an adult baby. Of course most of the furniture he wants won't be ready before you come home in nine days because the furniture has to be custom made. But he really thinks that you should have a crib so I have offered one of the cribs that I have here and will be sending it down later in the week. He didn't really want to get a high chair and thought just an armchair at the table should do fine for that. Of course, since you will only take a bottle, it doesn't matter. You can take your bottle anywhere. I did suggest a double rocker similar to the one we are in now in case he wants to feed you like this. He asked about clothes and toys, I told him to make that type of decision himself as to what he thinks is best for you. You have a very good, sweet brother, who wants to do right by you. I am very proud of the way he has stepped up to do this. It is a good tribute to Kathy, don't you think?" When she said that, Aaron smiled beneath the bottle because he agrees that it is a good tribute to Kathy, since she did a lot to raise both these Hotchner boys. But he is still not happy that Sean wants to take care of him like a baby. He doesn't want to be a baby.

When he has finished his bottle, Angie puts him down on the floor and gets down with him and the two play whatever game or toy that Aaron wants to play, until his night bottle and change.


	17. Team in New York

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Seventeen.**

The next day, Penelope was checking out the feed from Angie and did face recognition and called in the rest of the team when she said that it was Susan and she was in Hotch's room and talking to him. The microphone was able to pick up most of the conversation, but they were able to piece it together and interpolate the remainder of the conversation.

Morgan says, "Shit, I knew it, he's not being a baby because he wants to be. He's doing to protect us and his family. We really got to get these creeps. I want our leader back, no offense Rossi but …"

Rossi answers, "No offense taken, I want the same thing. At least this tells us that I am off the radar, I mean except for the co-worker area, she didn't mention me at all. I think I will go home tonight."

"This does not in any way say that you safe Rossi." says Prentiss. "She just grouped you with everybody else that doesn't mean that you safe from her clutches."

"No, but it does say that I am no more at risk than anyone is on the team." he responds.

Spencer says, "That's not necessarily true. She could just be putting us off of protecting you making you more vulnerable to her getting to you. You should still be with somebody."

"No, no more, I am going home tonight and sleep in my own bed. What information do we have to catch this couple?"

"Nothing new."

JJ says, "Maybe we need to look in a different direction."

"How do you mean, JJ?"

"The person, who knows this couple the most, is in New York. We haven't even checked out where Susan used to live, maybe it is time that we did. We could get an idea of what she did and who she was."

"I am so ashamed that we haven't done that yet." says Morgan.

"We have been focusing so much on Hotch and Rossi, we didn't think of her." says Prentiss. "Maybe Reid and I should could up and check out her place."

Morgan says, "Why you and Reid, we're all worried about Hotch and want to see him but we have to check out this woman and I think I am the best qualified for it, as the obsession expert and she is definitely obsessed."

As Rossi speaks, "He has got a point and I think he and I should go. Reid, you were uncomfortable enough in the car when we were bringing Hotch back to the area. It will be worse in New York."

He says, "I know but I really want to check on him. I am worried."

"He is going to be back in eight days, you can see him then."

"No, I want to go to New York." Each of our agents expresses their firm intentions of going. JJ and Garcia will be staying behind while the others do head to New York and to check on the fearless leader.

The jet gets them down in La Guardia at noon and they head to Angie's place, but with traffic they didn't get there until almost 1 pm. They get out of the SUV and head to the door. They knock and then ring the door bell but as Angie wasn't expecting them, she did not hear. She was finishing up feeding Aaron and he was heading to sleep for a nap. She knew someone was at door because she carries a buzzer on her body to inform her, she got out the speaker and says into it, "Please come in, remove your shoes and wait for me at the door. I will be there in a few minutes." She carries her man to his crib and places him to finish his bottle and go to sleep. "Sleep."

She walks to her office and closes the door to the nursery and enters the foyer to see the four agents. Surprised, she says, "Well, hello, I wasn't expecting any of you. Please take off your shoes and coats and come into the office." Our agents do as she asks and follows her into the office. "I only have two chairs to offer you. What can I do for you agents?"

"Morgan wants to look at Susan's room, it may give us insight into where she may be now or have gone."

"Sounds good but I don't know how much it can help because she took a lot with her. I haven't been inside the room at all, but it is back into the foyer and up the stairs to the 3rd floor and all the way to the back of the hall, last door on the left."

"Thanks. " Morgan leaves to head upstairs.

"What do the rest of you want?"

Spencer says. "We want to see Hotch."

"I thought so, I would say no but I don't think that is going to sway you to leave."

"Angie, we are worried and just want to see that he is okay, that's all."

"I understand that Emily, but you came at a bad time. He just finished lunch and is napping now. He doesn't have the same schedule that you have, it is firm and I don't want to upset him by changing rituals."

"We don't want to upset the man but we do want to see him."

"No Spencer, why don't you go upstairs and help Morgan. Work will help you overcome your frustration and maybe after an hour or two of checking Susan's room out, Aaron might be awake for you to see him. Please be aware, my concern is for Aaron and his needs, not yours. Go upstairs little genius." Spencer looks at her and she dares the man to defy her. Remembering her skill with the whip, the man heads upstairs. "It is amazing what a whipping can do to a man."

Rossi has been looking around at the tall room with its shelves going to the top filled with books of every color, shape, size, type and description imaginable. "This is some room but I don't see any of your diplomas."

"Thank you, when I first bought the building, I gutted it and rebuilt everything around you, I created what I wanted. As for those pieces of paper," she gets up and opens a large file drawer with over twenty frames of diplomas. "They are here."

"Why do you keep them hidden?"

"hm, I had other things to put on the walls."

Emily says, "You don't have anything on the walls, except shelves and racks of magazines and books."

"I know other things than diplomas. I don't take classes to get diplomas. I take classes to gain knowledge. Emily, why don't you go profile me and learn about me by going back to the foyer and then up the stairs. You are welcome to go into any room or area that you want."

"How about letting me into the door behind you?"

"Later, go do the other rooms' first, okay." Emily looks at David and leaves to discover more about this woman. "Well, it is just you and me now."

"What kind of errand do you want me to go on so that I don't disturb Hotch?"

"Oh, my secret's out, I do not like my clients to be disturbed when they sleep. You need to wait until he is awake."

"How is he doing? Any progression at all?"

"Until two nights ago, there was some, not a lot and not to my satisfaction but he was simply talking and started to walk from one part of the room to another. Then, yesterday, it was completely regressive. He was back to no talking, no walking, no chewing food; it was heartbreaking to me to see him like that. I called Sean and told him that I did not think that this was working out and to consider picking him up earlier than contracted. I didn't think I could help him anymore and I didn't want to. Sean convinced me to keep him until he could prepare for him. He is going home to live with Sean as an adult baby, I can't change that. It is his choice now and it is in his hands David. Only he can change his fate now. You know what hurts the most is that sweet, gentle, caring man did not deserve this. He did not do anything for this to have happened to him. It is revenge by two horrible people against me and Kathy. Are you staying safe? I don't want anything to happen to you. You are important to me."

"Yeah, I am fine; the team keeps close watch over me." The doorbell rang and Angie answers the door to let the florist messenger in. He is delivering her weekly delivery of flowers. She always has a vase full of her favorite flowers in her office. She brings the flowers into the office and takes the old flowers out to be taken to the kitchen and tossed out. It is an arrangement of yellow tulips, orange tiger lilies, red roses and blue hyacinths, with lovely greens spread around. "Those are lovely flowers. Do you get the same arrangement each week?"

"Yes, always the same, why?"

"Roses, tulips, tiger lilies and hyacinths and it is always the same."

"That's what I said, always the same, these are my four favorite flowers. Roses represent my mother, tiger lilies represent my father, tulips represent Steven and the Hyacinths represent you, the four most important people in my life."

"Susan would have known this."

"Yes, what are getting at?"

"Since her escape, Susan has been sending me three dead flowers daily, every three days she sends a tulip, tiger lily and rose."

"Only every three days she sends those, what is the significance in that?"

"That I haven't figured out yet."

"Well, do things change every three days in your life?"

"I have been going to a different co-workers home every three days."

"You made it a pattern instead of alternating the number of days at each person's place."

"I could stand three days at any one person's house."

"I am sure they could only stand three days of you but that is not the point. You made a ritual, a pattern, a way that she could time you and know what you were doing? She likes ritual, everything in its place at its time and heaven forbid you change her schedule. Sometimes I had to and it was a headache with her. But she always did what I wanted, that is why it is nice to be the one that signs the paycheck."

As they were sitting there talking, time goes by and our agents upstairs had been going through each room and were amazed at the old furniture in a house with the most up-to-date security system made. There was big mahogany and cherry wood with brass and bronze pieces all around, with queen size beds, wardrobes, and large conversational pieces. The place was dark but with large lighting pieces that shone the place up as they reflected off the brass, bronze, gold and silver accessories. There was a parlor, dining room, and kitchen on the second floor, two bedroom suites, each with a bed area, sitting area and bathroom, on the third floor and the top floor had a large room attached to the office where the books meet, it seems to be an extension of the office with shelves that are only half-filled with books. The first floor had the office and the nursery, which they haven't seen yet.

In the office is heard a slight cry, that Angie and David heard, the cry occurred just as the other agents came in and Morgan asked, "What is that, a baby crying?"

Angie gets ups and says, "No, Aaron." She leaves to go to the nursery and closes the door behind her.


	18. Homeland Security

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Eighteen.**

Angie goes to take her man out of his crib and change his diaper and he wondered why she was also changing his clothes. She says, "You have visitors darling and I want you to look a big boy not a baby" as she takes his crawler off and puts a pair of black docker pants and a light orange button down shirt on him over a white onesie. She put a pair on thick socks on his feet and takes him to the playroom where she places him on the play rug. He looks stricken and unhappy because he doesn't want to see anybody. She tells him, "I did not invite them here and would get rid of them except they won't leave until they see you. They are very insistent on it." She bends down and looks at him in the face and says, "They love you and they want to make sure that you are okay." He realizes who is out there and shakes his head extremely to say no, no, no. "I can't keep them out right now, they are insistent. Please talk to them, let them know that you are okay. Help them with your knowledge of what happened to you."

He looks at her with stricken eyes and hangs his head in the shame that he feels right now. She touches his face in empathy and wishes she could make this man feel what he needed to feel right now. Angie does something now that she has never done before in her life, she leaned in and placed her lips on his lips. He was surprised and responded as the man came through and kissed this woman back. He put his hands on the back of her head and pushed further to make the kiss longer and more lasting than any could be. She sank against him and he supported her while they did not separate from each other. They broke apart and looked into the eyes of the other and each believed that what they felt could never be. She always believed that she didn't need this in her life and right now he couldn't have it in his life. She stands up and goes to the door to the office to let in Aaron's team.

The door opens and the team looks inside to see their boss sitting on the floor wearing pants and a shirt. His head was hung down and he did not look up to see the agents come in. They came in and cautiously walked toward the man, when they reach him, they sit down beside him and Spencer touches his shoulder, Aaron looks at the man. "Hi Hotch, I jus..jus..I needed to see you and know that you are okay. Are you okay?" Aaron gently smiles at the young man and nodded his head yes.

Morgan says, "We know why you are doing this Hotch, you don't need to. We can take care of each other and protect your loved ones, but we need you to help catch these people so that can't hurt anybody. You can give insights that we didn't think of. You are our leader, we feel like a ship without a rudder." Aaron smiles at the analogy and points to Rossi. "He's a good ship's anchor, but slips a little on the rudder." Aaron points to Morgan. "I am not a leader, I can support but I rather take my guidance from a good leader. We need you Hotch, a stabilizing hand on the rudder that can get help us get things done."

"We don't need you like this," says Prentiss, "We need your ideas and strength and that drill sergeant attitude that gets us motivated. You give us leeway, rope but you know when to use the leather gloves and when to use the cotton ones. We need our leader not a baby trying to protect us." The man looks at her and is listening to all of what his agents are telling him but there is still a niggling doubt and concern in his mind. If he stops this will he be able to protect his son and brother? He believes his agents can take care of themselves, but what about Jack and Sean.

Rossi breaks into his reverie by saying, "Jack has twenty-four protections from his mother and from a patrol of agents who are with them always. You can protect Sean by living with him and staying under his guardianship. I don't know if you know about the guardianship papers he has over you but he has full control over finances, health, living and whether you get to work or not. The papers do not declare you incompetent, they declare you unable to do certain things that are believed necessary to independent living and that means you can't live without someone handling those necessities of life, like rent, food, stuff like that. But the papers declare you disabled because of the condition but disabled people can work and your job doesn't require you to feed or clothe yourself, but you do need to talk and walk. We need you Hotch." Aaron indicates that he will think about it and his stomach rumbles loudly and every one laughs. "Are you hungry Hotch?" A vigorous nod to that question by our man.

Prentiss says, "I'll go see what is there." And she goes over to the kitchenette area, but doesn't seem to find any food and can't even see the bottle case. "I am sorry but I don't see anything to eat." She finally sees the case and opens it up but is surprised to just see baby bottles with all sorts of liquids in them. There is a piece of paper on the side that says what is given at what time of day. At this time of day, it indicates juice and she looks for a bottle with juice and finds a grape juice. She pulls it out and shows it to Hotch. "Is this what you want?" The men sitting on the floor all look at her and then look at Aaron, who nods yes hesitantly.

Spencer scoots up behind Aaron, intent on feeding the boss man his bottle like Angie and Rossi did in the car. Emily brings over the bottle and hands it to Spencer, who gently prods Aaron into lying in his arms and places the bottle in his mouth. Without hesitation our leader closes his eyes and begins to drink the bottle. Our agents all look at each other at this action by their leader and wonder to each other; is he really able to lead us to finding these people and others like him? Spencer strokes his hair and caresses the man as he mildly rocks him.

Angie has been watching the interplay between Aaron and the agents and has been praying that they can help realize what he needs to be doing and can convince him that this is not what is best for him or his family. When she saw Emily get the bottle, she wondered at how they would react to his bottle feeding, but it seems to be going okay. Spencer is being very gentle and loving to the man. She enters and goes to the agents. "Why don't you check out the dungeon while Spencer is feeding Aaron?" The others get up and follow her to the dungeon where they see that it appears to be identical to the one on the DVD that they watched Hotch being tortured except for the cage and the pink blanket on the wall.

While Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan check out the dungeon, Aaron finishes his bottle and Spencer takes it out of the man's mouth and the two look at each other as Aaron sits up. Spencer asks, "So boss man tell me what toys you like to play with?" He nods his head over to the toy area, Aaron smiles and indicates to him to follow as he crawled over to the village set up with cars, trucks, trains and a lot of shop buildings.

When the others come back up from the dungeon they are surprised at what they see. Two grown men playing in the village of toys, crashing cars and breaking down buildings while laughing and yelling at each other when the other gets in the way. The agents go over to the men playing and each crouch down to look at them, the two playing look at the others like two little boys caught doing something they shouldn't be doing by their parents. Aaron picks up a car and offers it to Morgan, who takes it and looks at it and smiles while saying, "I'll bite, what are we playing?" The two boys playing smile and Spencer explain what they were doing and we now have three little boys playing. Rossi stands up and goes to look elsewhere around the nursery and all of its nooks and crannies. He still wants to know how Susan got in there, if all the doors were locked. Emily looks down at the men playing and thought about joining them but like Rossi she decides to explore the nursery.

It was at that moment when a harsh voice came from outside and yelling Homeland Security proceeds to attempt to crash the door, which they didn't have to do since Angie immediately opened the door by remote when she heard the voices. A group of the local agents from the Homeland Security office come rushing in.

"Hello, can I help you." says Angie to the lead agent.

"Just stay where you are ma'am."

"Where is your warrant and what are you looking for?" The man gives her a warrant and she proceeds to read that they are searching for drug contraband. "Well, this is interesting, but you welcome to look wherever but do not destroy anything, you do not want to lose your job."

At this point Rossi comes in and is told to put his hands up. "I am Special Agent David Rossi of the FBI and you are?"

"Agent Tom Jenkins of Homeland Security, we received an anonymous tip that there was contraband drugs here."

"Well, you can look, but you won't find anything like that here. Do you mind if I check out the anonymous tipster? How did it come in?"

"We received a phone call to our headquarters."

"Do you mind if I call our technical analyst to search for tipster?"

"Do you think she can do that?"

"She's very good at what she does." He proceeds to call Garcia from the office and lets her know about what's happening.

The boys in the nursery hear the commotion and Morgan and Reid get up, while telling Hotch to stay where he is. They head to the door and hear muffled sounds, they can't seem to get a clear sound as to what is happening until suddenly a speaker comes on and all is heard. They hear Rossi talk with agent Jenkins and his subsequent call to Garcia. They stay at the door and make sure it stays locked.

Morgan tells Reid to stay by the door he is going to get Hotch out of the playroom. Reid asks why and Morgan answers that he doesn't want them to find Hotch the way that he is. He goes over to the man and tells him that he needs to pick him up and get him out of this room. Hotch looks up questioning Morgan. As Morgan says that he doesn't have to explain, they need to go now and to trust him. Hotch lifts his arms and helps Morgan to lift and carry him into the next room with the crib and changing table. Another door leads out to the bathing chamber. Aaron indicates to Derek that he should open one of the cabinets under the changing table and Derek sees that it is a large open area that currently holds bags of disposable diapers, but if you remove them a person can be hidden in there. Morgan removes the bags and places Aaron in there telling to stay quiet and that he would be back to get him. He places thin bags in front of the man to hide him behind them. He rushes back to the playroom and sees that Reid is still at point at the door. He goes and gets a bottle and takes it back to Aaron to help the man stay busy and quiet. He closes all the doors behind him and goes to stand beside Reid.

But Morgan made the mistake that Angie made, believing that the bedroom was safe. The door to the cabinet opens and a man looks into it at the man drinking his bottle. He says, "Hello puppy."

Aaron whimpers and shrinks back as much as he can into the cabinet.

"My sister showed me how to jimmy open the window in the bath room. That is how she got in and that is how I got in. I'm just letting you know that I am still watching you and you better keep yourself the way you are. You are my baby puppy and had better keep it that way. I can get to anybody in your life and I will kill them if you do not behave yourself puppy." He pulls the bottle out of Aaron's mouth and put it on top of the cabinet and says, "Angel." He closes the cabinet doors and leaves.

After about thirty minutes, the problem with Homeland Security got cleared up and the agents for that department left. Morgan came into the bedroom to get Aaron and sees the bottle on the top of the cabinet only half empty. He opened the cabinet doors and takes out the packages of diapers to reveal an Aaron that looked like death warmed over with his head hanging low. "Hey, hey Hotch, what's wrong, what happened? Why was your bottle on the top of the cabinet?" Aaron looked up and his face was full of tracks of tears, Morgan reached in and pulled to get the man out of the cabinet. He picked him up and placed him on top. "What happened Hotch? Talk to me." The man just lay there crying.

"Hotch, I am going to go get Angie, you stay right where you are. Don't move." Morgan runs through the playroom to the office, Reid yells out, "Hey Morgan, what…" But the man just ignores him so Reid goes into the bed area and sees Aaron about to roll off the changing table and rushes to him to prevent that. "Hey boss man, where do you think you are going? " Aaron shakes his head and just lies back again with Reid holding him down and looking very worried about this man he loves and respects.

In the office, Morgan looks around to find Angie and doesn't see her right away because she has gone to find out if the other agents destroyed or ruined anything while they were looking for bogus drugs. He yells out, "ANGIE!" She comes running in after about thirty seconds, Rossi and Prentiss shortly after her.

"What is it Morgan? Why are screaming like a banshee?"

"I'm sorry to scream like that but when the homeland security was here I wanted to protect Aaron from them seeing him and so he showed that he could be hidden in the diaper cabinet. I left him in there with a bottle, after the others left I went to get him out. The bottle was on top of the cabinet and he was crying inside. I pulled him out and put him on the changing table but he wouldn't tell me what happened. I came to get you."

"You left him on the changing table, did you belt him down?"

"I just told him to stay still." She rolled her eyes at that and ran from the room to the bed area. She is relieved to see Spencer there holding him down. Spencer looks at her with stricken eyes because he doesn't know what to do. She comforts him by giving him a hug and telling him to go back to the playroom and keep everyone else there. She smiles wanly at him as he leaves and she checks out her man on the table.

"Will you tell me what happened?" He just looks at her and sits up and grabs her tightly. He whispers to her, "He was here." She pulls back slightly and looks at his scared face. She rocks him for comfort and she whispers back, "What did he say to you?" He whispered, "He came in by way of jimmying the lock on the bathroom window, his sister showed him how. He told me that he was still watching and wanted to hurt everybody I loved. If I don't stay a baby he will. I don't want to be a baby but how can I keep my loved ones safe from that person?" He cries on her shoulder. She holds and rocks him gently.


	19. Home with Sean

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Nineteen.**

During the week after the agents came to New York, there has been no new news about the capture of the couple after Hotch and Rossi. Hotch is still in a very regressive state with Angie at the nursery and he refuses to be anything but be the baby that the man wants him to be. Sean is preparing to bring Aaron home to his apartment and has been creating a nursery there. Angie sent him a crib and he got the other agents to come and help him set the bedroom up. They painted the walls a baby blue with a midnight blue on the ceiling and Garcia and JJ stenciled cute little animals all around the top of the walls and at the baseboards. Sean had gotten a changing cabinet similar to the one that Angie has and has filled it with bags of disposables and had purchased some cloth diapers and plastic pants. He got powder, lotion, oil and everything that a nursery layette needed. The changing table was placed along the wall by the window and a wardrobe was brought in with many drawers and a place for hangers. Sean placed Aaron's clothes in there. He bought a lot of new clothes, but did keep some of the old although much of the old was boxed up and put into storage. The crib fit into the room well with the other furniture in the room.

In the dining room, Sean had placed a double rocking chair that he bought to feed Aaron in, he put the dining room set into storage and bought a small table with two armchairs and a chilled wine cabinet into which he put Aaron's bottles. He bought a bottle warmer and plenty of bibs designed for the adult baby. In the bathroom, he has gotten an adult form fitted seat in the tub to wash his brother in.

For the living room, He bought another double rocker and also a large toy chest with a lot of different types of toys for stimulation and enjoyment. He bought a duffle bag for his diaper bag and when he goes to pick him up in New York, Sean brings along the Dreamer Design Axiom size 3 stroller with a bunting bag and weather cover for his brother.

In New York, Sean arrives in the SUV and goes up to the house and enters, he goes into the office and sees the door to the nursery open. He enters the playroom and sees his brother in the toy area playing with cars and trucks in the small village. He is wearing a red pair of overalls with a blue and white striped top under. He has blue booties on his feet. He looked like an adult sized child of two. Sean walks over to him and bends down and asks, "Can I play?" Aaron looks up and smiles. He reaches out to hug and the men hold each other for awhile. When they finally break apart, Aaron hands him a car to play with.

The scene that Angie comes in to see is that of both Hotchner boys playing noisily and having lots of fun. "Good morning, Sean." He looks up and nodded good morning with a smile. Aaron looks up and smiles at her too. He points to his mouth. "No, Aaron, it is not yet time for a bottle." He pouts and goes back to playing. Sean kisses his forehead and gets up to talk to her.

"Angie, I know that it didn't quite the way we wanted but we just have to accept him as he is right now. Thank you for caring for him and helping him to become more comfortable in the life. The team and I created a nursery at the apartment. Thank you for the crib, you will have to come and see it."

"I look forward to seeing it and I want you to know that he is a wonderful man and although he thinks that he needs to do this to keep the people that he loves safe from that man. Do not forget that he is still a man under that baby façade. It is only a façade. Love him as both the man and the baby. Soon he will break and be there to help him in whichever way he goes. Encourage him to walk and talk, so that he can go back to work. He can work if he can do those two things. Don't worry about the rest, it doesn't matter."

Angie then begins to help Sean get Aaron ready to take home, Sean goes to get the stroller that he bought out of the car and brought it in the house. Aaron sees it for the first time and doesn't like it because it does look very much like an infant's jogger stroller, just made for larger infants. There is a bunting bag attached to it for when he is outside in the cold. Angie finds it a very fascinating accessory that Sean has gotten Aaron and she is definitely looking forward to seeing what other baby accessories that he has gotten for his big baby brother.

She changes Aaron's diaper and Sean puts Aaron into the stroller and wraps him in the bunting bag, where we only see his face. She gives Sean a bag of diapers and bottles for the trip back and kisses Aaron good bye. "Good bye darling, I'll come down and visit in a few weeks." She kisses her two fingers and places the fingers on his lips while he smiles back at her and purses his lips in a kiss. She gets up and leaves the room while Sean pushes Aaron to the car and then picks him up in the bunting bag and all and puts him in the back seat of the car and buckles him in. He puts the stroller in the back and drives home to the DC area. Angie watches the SUV leave with tears in her eyes as she watches the man she has come to care deeply for going away.

Meanwhile back in the DC area, Rossi and his current babysitter, Morgan, are heading out of the office. The team still won't allow Rossi stay at his home alone and he is really getting irritated. Morgan and he are going out to dinner and then plan to head to the Hotchners. They know that Sean is bringing Aaron home today and decide to stop by and see how the boss man likes his new digs. When they get there and knock on the door, Sean answers and welcomes them in. They walk in and see Aaron sitting in the living room on the double rocker as he had just been sat up when Sean had to get up to answer the door. It seems that the agents arrived during feeding time. Sean sits back down and Aaron lies back down in his arms to finish his bottle.

Morgan says, "Sorry we didn't mean to come during dinner. We just wanted to know that you got home well."

Rossi pipes up, "We should have thought that it might be dinner time, we just finished dinner ourselves, nothing like a good steak." Aaron narrows his eyes at him and scowled as best he could with a bottle in his mouth, but he wasn't about to stop drinking. He was hungry. "Have you eaten Sean, I could feed Aaron so you can eat?"

"That's okay, David. This is his first bottle here and I want to give it to him." He rocks the chair while holding his brother and talking with the Morgan and Rossi. After the first bottle, Aaron was given a second bottle because he was still hungry. He hadn't had anything since noon, because Sean wouldn't give him one in the car on the way home. Aaron slept in the car and the brothers have been bonding a little since coming home when Sean showed Aaron all around the apartment and then they played for an hour before Sean got Aaron's dinner bottles ready. The men talk for several hours while Aaron has his bottles and then falls asleep in Sean's arms while being rocked.

When Rossi and Morgan leave, Sean gets up and takes Aaron to the changing table and changed his diaper and puts him in a night sleeper. Aaron does not wake up while being changed and when Sean put him in his crib, he hugged his brother and said, "Good night Galahad."

The first days at home for our boss man were easy and Sean tried to make it simple for by creating a daily schedule that was easy on the boys. Sean would get up and shower about six in the morning and dress before going to wake his brother. He would then bathe and dress Aaron after which there would be the first bottle of the day. Sean would then put Aaron down onto the floor of the living room to play and explore the room. A few hours later, Sean would feed Aaron another bottle and then dress him to take out for a walk in the stroller, bundled up in the bunting bag. They would walk for a few hours in the park and come home for a lunch bottle and a nap. Aaron got another bottle after his nap and played until another bottle two hours later. He would then take a small nap before his two dinner bottles and then the boys would watch some TV or DVD movie until his bedtime story and bottle at about 10pm. This is now the life for Agent Aaron Hotchner of the FBI BAU. Will it be his life forever? Sometimes fate takes a hand and changes things but for the better or for the worse.


	20. Missing Agents

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty.**

Two weeks after Aaron comes home, it is late April and the weather is wet, rainy and many times still pretty cold in the DC area. Sean and Aaron have their daily schedule pretty down pat and with very few exceptions; our boys are out and about when they can be. Rossi has decided enough of feeling like an unwanted foster child. He was going home tomorrow night but tonight he was staying with Spencer for the last night. They had just finished eating dinner and cleaning up and Spencer took the garbage out to the curb for the following day's trash pickup. David went to the living room to set up the chess board, a common practice for the two men.

Thirty minutes later, David was still waiting for Spencer to come back in and was getting mildly irritated. Not again, he thinks to himself, Spencer I am going to kill you one of these days. You keep getting yourself distracted by others. He heads outside and doesn't see the missing man. He looks around the yard and to the curb and back when he finally sees a figure of what looks like him on the side of garage next to a large van. "Spencer, what is up with you? Why are you over here?" It was then that he saw the silver tape on his mouth and the hands tied behind his back. "What?" When the lights go out.

The next day at the office, there is questions as where Spencer and Rossi are as they did not show up and there is no answer on any of their phones. Their cell phones are both at Spencer's house, so Morgan and Prentiss go over to see what is happening and find no one there. The door is closed but unlocked and no indication of what happened to the men. They notice the set up chess board but as yet unplayed. They see the beds were not slept in. From all indications, something has happened to our men but what and was it by choice?

David slowly wakes up with every inch of his body in hurting and he does not want to open his eyes. Painfully and with great caution he begins to open them and let the bright light in. As his eyes adjust to his surroundings, he looks around and it looks somewhat familiar. Where has he seen this before and after a minute he does remember? This is Angie's dungeon. He is hanging on chains on the bed in exactly the same spot Aaron was two months ago in Susan's dungeon. He looks down and was not surprised to find himself nude and on all fours. He looked up and sees her with a crazed mad look on her face as she finally has the object of her obsession in her possession.

She says, "Hello doggy. Finally, you are here. I had to do it myself. My idiot brother is still obsessed with your boss and he doesn't realize that I don't care about your boss. I wanted you, just like I wanted Stephen. I killed him and I am going to kill you, but not before I have a little bit of fun."

"Where is Spencer, what did you do with him?"

"The little boy, oh, he's upstairs in the nursery, wearing the cutest little baby frock you can imagine. It is pink satin with ruffles and lace all around. To keep him from removing anything I had to put some pink satin mittens and booties on him, he looks so adorable. The frock stops just about his upper thighs, so that you can see his adorable rumba panties covering his diaper. He is such a precious sissy baby."

"You are absolutely crazy Susan. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to and I can. Angie will be out of town for two weeks, so we have the whole house to have fun in. If you do what you're told, your precious sissy baby will be taken care of. If you disobey, then sissy baby gets left alone for twenty four hours, with no food, no water and sitting in his own dirty diaper. Think about that when we start to play." She looks around and sees the different weapons and chooses one off the wall. "Let's play."

At the office, Morgan says, "We are down three men, we keep getting smaller. Any idea what might have happened to Reid and Rossi? This is not like them, especially with that woman out there after Rossi."

"We need to consider that maybe she has them." says JJ.

"But she only wants Rossi, why would she take Reid too?" states Prentiss.

"It could be for any reason, leverage or hostage to get Rossi to do what she wants."

"We need Hotch for this."

"Hotch doesn't talk, how can he help?"

"He doesn't talk by choice and not because he can't and is doing it to protect his family and us. He needs to know that the woman doesn't care about him and what he does. Her brother does and if she has our boys, then that contract he has with them is over."

"We need proof and not speculation about where they are. Let's go find it."

It takes three days before they get the proof, which she sends to them, a picture of baby sissy Spencer sitting in a high chair and her sarcastic note saying, "Isn't he just precious? Tell her that I have her brother and the sissy boy. Ha. Ha. Ha. The picture and note was attached to the box of four dead flowers, a rose, a tiger lily, a tulip and a hyacinth.

"Okay, we know that she has them now, but where." says Morgan. "When we went through her room in New York, it gave no indication of other places that she had. Garcia is there under name or her brother's name that would indicate any thing that gives us financial information or anything to tell us where they are. We know she likes ritual and she doesn't like change. Anything on the credit card hits?"

"I will keep looking but so far I have not found anything about either sibling, beyond what we already know. We need a new way of seeing it and more information. Maybe Hotch has more information that he doesn't even know he has. Call Sean and ask him to bring Hotch in."

"Hotch doesn't talk!"

"He will, when we tell him that Rossi and Reid are missing, let's bring him in and talk to him."

"I'll go call Sean."

At the Hotchner apartment, there are two frustrated men. One doesn't want to wear what the other wants to put on him and neither is giving in to the other. One refuses to bend his arms and knees to make it easy for the other to dress him and the other is getting angry but doesn't want to deny the first man's right to have some choice in what he wears. Not that he has a right to choose legally. So the first is just lying belted down on the changing table while the other has gone to answer the phone. After a few minutes, he comes back and goes to the wardrobe to choose another outfit for the man on the table. The man on the table curled his face in question at the new outfit that his brother wants to dress him in but no answer was given to him on the table. He just was dressed in the black suit pants, light pink button-down shirt and a black vest was put on the man. Black socks on his feet, he was carried to the living room for a bottle and then put him in his bunting bag in the stroller. This was all done in silence between the men. One is now perplexed and the other is still irritated at the events of the morning.

They take the bus to the FBI building in Quantico because Sean has not yet received the new vehicle that he has ordered and doesn't want to use Hotch's old car. Aaron is surprised when they go through the doors of the building and they go up to the BAU unit floor. When Sean goes through the doors with the stroller he looks around to see where he can take Hotch.

"Hello Sean and thanks for coming in. Hi Hotch, nice to see you. Why don't you come to the round room?" Sean followed Derek to the round room where the other members of the BAU first unit are sitting. There is a board with photos of Hotch and the two missing men under the last known photos of the siblings. The woman is situated above the missing men and the man is situated above Hotch. Both Hotchner men look at the board and find it curious about the pictures of the two missing men.

Sean asks, "What does this mean about Rossi and Reid?"

"Please sit down and relax, three days ago neither Rossi nor Reid showed up for work. Since Rossi was staying with Reid, they should have arrived together. We went to check out where they were and we found an unplayed chess game, beds not slept in and an unlocked door. We had found no clues as to what happened to them until this morning; when a photograph of Reid was sent with a note about having Angie's brother and Reid. Since we know that Susan wants Rossi, who we know to be Angie's pseudo brother because she sees him as a brother, we think that she now has him and Reid was taken as a way of keeping Rossi under control. We don't know where they are. We were hoping that you could help us out Hotch. We know you don't talk. We also know that you can talk but choose not to do so because of what the man has done to you. The contract was that if you acted like a baby and did not walk, talk, or eat as an adult they would not hurt the people you care for like Jack, Sean or any members of the team. Rossi and Reid are missing and that makes your verbal contract void, we think. Hotch we need your help for ideas and what you may think where we can look."

While Derek was talking, Sean took the bunting bag off Aaron and gave him the file to read as he sat in his stroller. He gives a deep frown when he sees the picture of Spencer that the woman sent. "Sean, what is today's date?" Each person in the room looked at him as he said his first words to them in almost two months. He looked up and saw each looking at him and gave a look of what did you expect when you brought me here?

Sean answers, "It is Thursday."

"I didn't ask for the day, I asked for the date."

"April 27th, why does that matter."

"The last week of April. Prentiss when you were doing a profile of Angie, what did you find about her?"

"She likes books and words. She is kind and gentle and very loyal to her clients and friends and family. She likes to keep things clean but doesn't like to do it herself. She's not pretentious about her education and knowledge. She doesn't show it off like it is not important to her. She is security and privacy conscious. She cares. She is a medieval lady with modern tendencies."

"That is Angie except that you didn't see all of her. Angie is Reid fifteen years later. A person who allows what she reads and learns in classes to determine who she is and this is the first semester in forty years of education that she has not taken a class or seminar or anything to increase knowledge of what she knows or doesn't. That is significant of who she is. During my time with her, I sensed a sadness of what was happening around her. She wouldn't tell me what it was, but she mentioned that she would be gone this week and next week, incommunicado and hoped that I would be well by then because she wanted me to be able to do what I have to do. I can't do it yet. I still have problems sometimes feeling safe and don't want to extend to what an unsub does. I don't want to be here. Sean I want to go home." Aaron stops talking and begins to curl into himself. Sean goes to his brother and looks at him in the eye and takes him partially out of the stroller to hold him and began to rock his brother and whisper soft things to him. Aaron whispers to Sean, "She's having medical tests done on her eyes in the hospital. She is going blind." Sean looks at him. "She had the appointment made many months ago and Susan would have known about it." Sean whispers to Aaron, "Do you think that is why Susan waited until now to kidnap Rossi and Reid?" Aaron nods his head. "I can't do this Sean, I want to go home and have some lunch." "We don't have to go home to lunch." "Not here, please." Sean just continues to hold the man.

The other agents are watching this time intercourse between brothers now saddened to see their once fearless and strong boss man having these problems.

Morgan says, "Well at least we got some information. Obviously this was a mistake."

JJ says, "I don't think it was a mistake, but it shows where Hotch is right now in his healing process. The psychological pain is deeper than was first thought, but he can heal. We just have to believe that."

"Yeah, but it is not going to help us find Rossi and Reid," says Prentiss.

Aaron pushes Sean away and leans back in his stroller and says, "You have to go to New York because that is where they are, at Angie's place. Garcia?"

"Yes, boss man."

"I need you to check on the brother's time in the prison and find out who were his fellow inmates and where are they located now. Do some checking on that? JJ, you go search your requests and find some work for the unit to do besides these siblings. The reason you haven't found them is because you have been focused too much on me and Rossi, focus people, they need to be the object of your concern. Find out about them, where they grew up, who their friends were and what clubs or organizations they are a part of. Get some information. I don't care how, just get it. Sean, I am hungry."

Sean looks at the other agents. Who get the subtle hint that they need to leave the Hotchners alone for awhile. They go do what Hotch asks about finding the past of the siblings. Sean locks the door and shuts the blinds before he takes Aaron out of the stroller and places him on the round table next to the bag which he places on a chair. He takes out the waterproof pad and places Aaron on the pad and lies him down so he can take off his pants and change his diaper. He checks the pants to make sure there were no leaks and proceeds to remove the diaper and place a dry and clean one on the man. After redressing him in his pants, Sean puts all the diapering paraphernalia away and puts Aaron down on the floor next to the wall. He sits next to him and Aaron lies back into his brother's arms ready for his bottle which Sean places in the man's mouth. Sean got the sandwich out that he brought for himself and the boys had their lunch.


	21. Director's Orders

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-One.**

A few hours later, the team comes back in and sees the Hotchner men sitting on the floor. Sean is reading a book while Aaron is sleeping in his arms. Sean looks up and says, "You have to go to New York, Rossi and Reid are there in Angie's dungeon and nursery. Angie is out of town so to speak and isn't there and that is why Susan chose this week to take Rossi and since he was with Reid, she took him too. "

Morgan says, "You get all that information from Hotch?"

"Yes. It will take more time, but he will be able to return. Just give him time to stop torturing himself. Remember, he doesn't have Kathy anymore to talk to and I don't know how to help him like she could. So we need to let him do it as he can." Morgan bends down and lifts Aaron out of his brother's arms and gently puts him into his stroller. "Thanks. I wasn't sure how I was going to do that without waking him up and it is nap time. So we are keeping to his schedule."

The director of the agency comes in with Section Chief Strauss and sees the current agents of the BAU first team just standing around. He asks, "Have you been able to get any information from sleeping beauty here?"

"Yes sir, we believe that they are being held in New York at Angie's place."

"Then you can travel there tonight and rescue them and take sleeping beauty with you. He will get you in better than anyone else can."

"And why do you think that."

"There are some things that you don't need to know. Open your eyes Agent Hotchner." The director looks straight at the man in the stroller who opens his eyes. "Are you able to work in a limited capacity while you continue with your psychological therapy?"

Aaron looks at the man in front of him and wonders in his own mind that same question. He says, "What do mean by limited capacity, sir?" The director smiles at that.

"I mean that you come in for a few hours every day and lead your team in profiling. You would not be in the field until you are able to walk and perform more independent activities. Here at the office, we can work around your schedule. You will spend most of your day in your office doing paperwork and leading your team by example and diplomatic means. You are able to think and give your team insight that can sometimes be blocked by expertise. You will also work with an agency psychiatrist to help work your way back to full capacity. Your brother will be given limited access to be here for your needs. You will not be given weapons until full recovery or allowed on the gun range until then." The men look at each other with tacit understanding and agreement is made between the two. "Get your team ready to go to New York agent.

"Yes sir. You heard the man team. Let's go get out missing men." The agents go get their ready bags and JJ calls the airport to have the jet ready. Sean wraps Aaron into his bunting bag and puts a bottle in his mouth, while getting the ready bags for them to head out to the airport.

At the airport, there is a problem of how to get Aaron on the plane. The jet is not attached to the hanger so to get on to the plane one must walk up the eight steps into the plane. Sean takes the stroller to the bottom of the steps and Aaron tells him to take the bunting bag off and put his shoes on, he was going to try and walk up with the help of friends and the rails support. Sean puts his shoes on and lifts him out of the stroller on his feet and puts his hands on the rails. Morgan is walking just in front of the man walking up backwards and Sean is behind supporting the man by keeping his hands on the man's hips. Prentiss took the stroller to the baggage area loader. JJ carried the diaper bag into the plane ahead of Morgan and got a double seat ready for the boss to sit on. One step at a time, Aaron lifted his leg and places the foot on the step, with Sean holding him, he used the limited muscle strength he has to push up on the step. It takes a bit of time but with the strength of Morgan and Sean, Aaron was able to walk up the steps. He enters the plane and walks slowly to the spot that JJ fixed up for him. After sitting down, Sean wiped the sweat from the man's face and worked to clean him up. When everyone got on board and seated. The plane took off. After taking off Sean laid Aaron down to rest until they land a little over an hour later.

Getting off the plane was as difficult as getting on for Aaron, he had to walk down the steps but Sean had to get off first and make sure the stroller was out and waiting for the man at the end of the steps. The ladies got all the bags and Morgan and Sean worked with Aaron in the opposite direction to get the man down and then bundled into his bunting bag in the stroller. The rain was coming down very heavily while they were doing this, so that by the time they got him bundled up he and the boys were soaking wet. They rushed into the hanger and shook the excess water off.

Sean asked, "Aaron are you feeling okay?"

He answers, "Just wet and a little hungry, but my needs aren't important. We need to get to Angie's place and check out the nursery and the dungeon to see if I am right about Rossi and Reid being there."

"I am not taking you until it clears up out there. You don't need to get sick."

"Sean, we have a job to do and that comes first."

"Not to me it doesn't, you come first." Sean pushes the stroller into the airport and goes to catch a cab to get a ride to a hotel to dry off for the night. Aaron in the meantime is protesting and attempting to talk to Sean that they needed to go to Angie's. Sean wasn't listening. He noticed how tired Aaron was and getting on and off the plane weakened him and took a lot of his energy. Going to check out Angie's would take more out of him than was necessary at least that is what Sean thinks. He believes that Rossi and Reid have taken it for four days now, what is one more night and nothing was going to change Sean's mind.

The other agents however do catch a cab to Angie's and find t completely locked up and did not see any lights on inside. They are not fully convinced that the guys are there and have no warrant to break down the door and decide to head to the same hotel that Sean took Aaron to. When they get there, they get rooms and decide to meet at the Hotchner room to discuss going to Angie's place later. Sean had Aaron out of the stroller and put him in the tub to warm up when the others arrive. It would take a while sitting in the warm water for Aaron to stop shivering from being in the cold rain and when he finally did, Sean got him out of the tub and dressed him in a diaper and a warm flannel sleeper. He then put the man in the middle of the queen sized bed to have a bottle and nap. When the others saw that Sean had Aaron in the tub, they decided to come back later and about two hours after they took warm showers and dried themselves, they came back to the room.

Sean let them in and said, "I am sorry that I summarily made the decision not to go to Angie's tonight but I didn't like the way Aaron was looking when we got off the plane. Aaron takes precedence in my eyes and I believe that Rossi and Reid would understand and be willing to wait until the morning. I hope that they will be strong enough to handle whatever that woman does to them."

JJ responds, "I think we understand and I agree that our missing men would understand about Aaron not going there tonight. The director ordered him to come otherwise I don't think he should have. But Aaron is a good agent and thinks what is best for others before what is best for him. He needs you to do that for him right now, hopefully not forever."

Morgan says, "We did get to Angie's and I am not sure that I believe that they are there, we need a key to get in. I cannot break down that door. Angie has it unbreakable in the sense that it is solid steel and connected by reinforced hinges. It may look like a normal wooden door but that is just a façade. That building could survive a bomb attack. It won't fall down. It is a wooden façade on reinforced steel and titanium. The dungeon under the house is quite strong and sturdy. Nobody breaks into that place without knowing what the place looks like already. Susan could but she has lived there for eighteen years and probably was a part of how Angie created it. It is her design and construction. You do know that she has a master's degree in architecture and a master's in construction engineering and those are just two of her degrees."

Prentiss asks, "how many does she actually have?'

Garcia answers, "Twenty-two was the amount that I found while researching. She has a bachelor's degree in medieval history, biblical history, broadcasting, literature, theology, biology, engineering, international relations, psychology and business, masters in architectural design, ancient literature, urban planning, construction engineering, business accounting, psychological medicine and history of sciences and technology, and a ph d in assault counseling psychology and urban planning. She also has a medical degree and a jurist prudence (law) degree. She has passed the bar in six states and her most current educational degree goal is a master's in renaissance literature. She also ha s private pilot's license for a single engine with and without instruments and a certificate in bookbinding. This person has never stopped taking classes or auditing classes until this semester and I don't understand why she would now."

Aaron has been listening to the litany of degrees that Garcia rattled off for Angie and was amazed, of course he knows why she is not taking any courses now. About six months ago, she started waking up to cloudy vision and although it would clear up by mid-afternoon, it worried her enough to decide to take a break from reading and doing unnecessary overdoing of vision. It is why she is at the Vision Center hospital to have a full battery of test done on her eyes and brain to rule out tumors, cancer or other neurological problems. It is why she is not home this week. She of course hopes that it is not anything extremely serious but she is afraid of losing her vision which is most precious to her.

During the thirty days of being in the nursery alone together, these two people learned more about each other than they knew about anyone else. He didn't talk all that much to her, but what he did say was vital in the knowledge that she learned about him. She knew more about him than anyone else from their mutual best friend and her 'brother'. He learned about her too and wondered why she never married or had children of her own. Except that he knows of her fears of failing the people she loves. She always considered them but would sacrifice her wants. She supported Kathy by traveling around the world for her since Kathy was terrified of leaving home and traveling. She took care of Susan and loved the woman as a sister. She didn't realize that she was psychotic because she was a loving woman to Angie. Sometimes it is hard to see someone's madness through your own.

Aaron opened his eyes and looked at his agents and says, "She is not taking any classes because she is having difficulty reading and is having vision problems. That is why she is not home. She is having a battery of tests taken to determine why. Susan would know about the appointment and that the house would be empty this week and next week. I can get into the door because it is a numeric lock which I know. We will go in the morning to rescue our friends. Garcia, did you find out anything else about the brother and where he may be holed up."

She answers, "Yes, he did have a few former cell mates which have moved to the area. I sent them to Morgan's PDA and you can check them out while here in New York."

"Good then I think you should all head back to your rooms and get some sleep, it is going to be along day tomorrow. Sean, I am hungry." Our agents laugh at that simple statement as they say good night to their boss and leave the room. Sean had gotten up earlier while Aaron was talking and started to heat a bottle at the time. He knew his brother was going to be hungry. He brought the warmed bottle and got on the bed to feed his big baby brother. While Aaron fed, Sean read a story to him and lulled him back to sleep. This time Sean hoped it would be for the night. Most nights, Aaron does not sleep the whole night through. He would wake up whimpering and crying from bad dreams. Sean would have to just hold him until he calmed down. Aaron rarely sleeps more than four hours at any time while the average is 2 and half hours, which is why he seems to sleep a lot, when actually he doesn't sleep more than ten hours per day. It just seems like sixteen.


	22. Spence

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Two.**

He woke up and stretched. Once again he feels the bars on the each side of him limiting on how far he could stretch his arms. He wondered if she was going to come and change and feed him today. Sometimes she doesn't come and he just sits there all day in his own mess. It has gotten so bad that his bottom is itchy and painful and he sometimes just wants to cry because it hurts so badly. There are times when he does cry because he gets so hungry and his bottom is so sore. He wonders if this was how Hotch felt, but then he knew it wasn't; Hotch was treated with respect and dignity and loved when he was treated here. The woman taking care of him doesn't love him or treat him with dignity. When she does change him, it is perfunctory and not with care which is why he has a diaper rash. He wonders how long it will be this time before she comes and takes care of him. He knows that this is the same crib and was happy that at least he was sleeping in the same one that Hotch slept in.

He heard a noise and the door opened, she came in and looked at the baby in the crib and went to the changing table to get the diapering paraphernalia out for her baby. She lowered the rail on the crib and lifted him and put him none too gently on the table and take off his purple flannel sleeper. She noticed when she took off his diaper that he had a rash and decided to give him a bath. She picked him and carried him to the bathing chamber and began to fill the tub. He started to squirm in her arms thinking maybe he could get out of her arms and run out before she caught him. She smacked him several times on his sore bottom and he started to cry from the pain.

She says, "Sit still or I will give you a worse spanking than that. Angie doesn't spank babies, I do." The bath water is ready and she puts him in the tub and restrains his hands in the soft plastic restraints on the tub. She wets down his hair and washes it none too gently and rinses it out, all the while he is still crying from the smacks on his sore bottom. She takes a washcloth and gel and begins to wash his face and neck and works down to his chest and abdomen. She pays particular attention to his privates and then down his thin, chicken like legs to his feet. She then goes back to his upper body and bends him over so that she can wash his back and bottom, she pays particular attention to the purple butterfly on his lower back and wonders why he got that tattoo there. She doesn't ask but makes sure that it is well cleaned. When she finishes, she empties the tub and removes the restraints. She picks him up and wraps him in a towel before taking him to the changing table, where she thoroughly dries him off and dresses him in his diaper, lilac lace and ruffle rumba panties and purple baby doll fancy dress. She put a pair of lilac mittens and white ruffle anklets with purple booties on his hands and feet. While bathing him, she had shaved his hairy face and so now he was as hairless as he could be, except for the top of his head since she had denuded his body of hair several days ago and she likes the hair on his head. She put that up in little pig tails on each side of his head, wrapped in pink and purple ribbons.

She takes him to his high chair and puts his bib on while she got out some food for him. She restrains his hands in the plastic cuffs on the side of the chair. She spoons feeds him the baby food and he accepts it willingly. He knows that it is all he will get and has discovered that it isn't that bad tasting. She sometimes causes him to miss getting the food in his mouth, so that it spills all down his bib, he doesn't like that but she is in control so he can't stop it from happening. In the beginning, when she did this, he rebelled and got his face smacked more than once and even got a spanking on his bare behind for disobedience. He tries not to do that. He doesn't like being smacked or spanked. He tries to do whatever she wants him to do.

After feeding the baby, she takes him to the playpen that she set up in the middle of the room. It is five feet by five feet square and has rails that are four feet high. She puts some baby toys in there for him to play with and then tells him to stay quiet and play. She leaves him alone in the room and goes to the dungeon.

In the dungeon, there is a man handing on the chains from the ceiling trying to get some rest even though he hasn't had a lot in the past several days. There are cuts from whips going all along his arms, legs, back and chest. She has not touched his face and she has not raped the man. His bottom is red as a delicious apple and has some blistering from the paddles that she used to spank him with. The man is weak because he has not been fed or given liquids of any kind for many days. His throat is parched and he wonders if this will be the last day for him since he knows that she wants to kill him. She had killed Angie's brother Stephen while doing this same thing to him ten years earlier. She had killed Angie's parents twenty years earlier by causing them to have an automobile accident when the man who was driving, swerved to avoid hitting Susan as she stood in the middle of the road. He hit a brick building instead and died instantly. His wife died in the hospital two days later when she had a reaction to a medication mix-up. This man is the last person in Angie's life that she loves and today is his day to die. Two months late, but better late than not at all as she prepares today's whips and paddles. She is going to wait until the right time however, 11:59am is the time when he dies. She smiles at the thought of that, when he goes, her reign of revenge will be over and she can go to taking care of her brother. She likes to take care of her brother, ever since she was a little girl and he took care of her.

She picked up a whip and snaps the man who bucked when it hit him and broke open a line of blood. "Wake up, it is time to play."

At the hotel, Sean woke up and got showered and dressed, he ordered breakfast and then woke up Aaron and cleaned and dressed him before giving him his morning bottle. The other team members arrived soon after and the group decided to go together to find their missing agents. After putting Aaron in his bunting bag which had completely dried and in his stroller, the group headed to Angie's house. They got to the door and discovered it was still locked; the group looked at Aaron who gave Morgan a six digit number to enter. After he entered the number, the door clicked and a security password was requested which Aaron also gave to Morgan. It seems Angie trusted Aaron enough to give him more than just thirty days of cuddling. Although, since Aaron knows Angie fairly well now, she didn't have to tell him that the six digit number was Kathy's birth date and the password was her name. The door opened and our group entered the house which was currently dark and foreboding looking. The entered into the office and walked to the door to the nursery which surprisingly opened up. They looked inside without yet entering and only saw a playpen with someone sitting in it. The person was in a purple dress and booties and mittens. The first person in the room is Aaron because he is still in his stroller and Sean is pushing him with the agents walking behind him. Each of them is covering their mouths with their hands trying to prevent a laugh from escaping except Aaron who is looking formidable in his scowl that does not match the sparkle in his eyes. He says, "Spencer?"

The person in the playpen looks up and sees his colleagues and Sean coming toward him. He looks stricken that they not only see him dressed as a baby but as a baby girl. "Hotch; I knew you would come for me. I feel so humiliated that you have to see me like this."

Aaron responds, "Where is Rossi, Reid?"

"He's down in the dungeon, I think."

"Okay, Morgan, you and Prentiss, go get Rossi. Sean, you go get Spencer and clean him up, JJ find something better for him to wear and find something for David. I have a feeling that he is going to need it. Garcia take me back into the office and help me get up to sit at the desk." The voice of authority initiated the group to move. Garcia took Aaron into the office and helped him out of the stroller and sits him in the chair and then he tells her to find something for David to eat when they bring him up.

Sean goes over and lifts Spencer out of the playpen. He comments that Spencer was definitely lighter than Aaron was and he takes him into the bedroom and put him on the changing table lightly, but Spencer winced and cried out anyway. Sean asks, "Are you okay?" Spencer didn't want to admit it but he said, "My bottom hurts." Sean gently takes the dress off the man and removes his mittens and booties and socks. He then gently pushes down the man to lie down on the table. JJ brought over a pair of elastic waist style pants and a striped top with a pair of socks. "Thanks JJ."

She says, "I couldn't find any underwear."

"That's okay he can go back to wearing underwear in D. C. Go find something for Rossi." Sean took off the rumba panties on Spencer and then removed his diaper and saw the very bad rash on his backside. "Spencer, I want you to turn over and lie on your stomach for a little bit while I clean you up and then we are going to let you completely air dry. It will help the rash begin to heal." Spencer did what Sean asked. "You are going to lay for a little bit, if you have a problem just call out. I am going to check on Aaron, but you are not alone. There is someone who will hear you. It will only be a few minutes." Spencer nods his head to show he understands and Sean belts him on the table and goes to the playroom to see what is going on out there. He walks to the office and sees Aaron in the chair at the desk, checking files and things on Angie's desk. "Aren't you invading her privacy?"

Aaron looks at Sean, "How's Spencer?"

"He has a bad diaper rash, good thing I know what to do about it."

"How would you know that? I have never had a rash."

"Not yet at this age." Aaron looks at him. "But I remember you once having one that momma took care of during one summer. You didn't like to sit and you tried to hide it but I saw the tears that you cried from it. That was a hard summer of realities for me, seeing my big college age brother crying because his bottom hurt. That is why I try very hard to make sure that you don't sit in your diaper when it is wet or dirty. I change you often because I don't want to see that."

"I remember that summer, thank you for keeping my clean and dry. I hope I don't get a rash too."

"Although, I expect eventually you will have one."

"Why do you think that?"

"According to reports and statements by parents say that all babies get one eventually." Aaron looks at him and then goes back to checking out Angie's computer. Sean heads back to the changing area with Aaron's diaper bag. When he got there, he spread rash ointment on his backside and then turned him over and began to put a heavy cloth diaper on the man. Spencer started to rebel against it. Sean says, "I am not trying to humiliate you Spencer, calm down. The reason you have the rash is because you have been sitting in your own mess as well as the fact that you were wearing disposables. Sometimes that material can irritate worse than cloth. Right now, a diaper is best for you for a few days while the rash heals. Cloth will better for you I think, let me take care of you Spence just like I do Aaron. He pins the diaper on and then puts a pair of plastic pants over them. He then dresses the man in the pants, top and socks that JJ brought. They didn't find any shoes yet for the man. Sean took him down off the changing table and the men went back into the playroom.

JJ and Penelope see Spencer come in and go over to give the man a good hug because they are glad to see him. He asks, "Where's Hotch?"

"He is in the office. Morgan and Prentiss are down in the dungeon checking for Rossi. We should have heard from them. Let's go to talk with Hotch."

In the office, Aaron is still trying to break into Angie's computer system; he hasn't been able to do that yet. The others come in and there is talk about the dungeon and where those that went down are. Aaron knows that if he can get into the security cameras, then they might see what is happening down there before going down. Garcia says, "If you will let me in sir, I am sure that I can hack into the system." He looks at her and tells Sean to take him to sit in another chair so Garcia could sit in the office chair. Garcia sits and starts to check out Angie's system and what she can do to get into it. Aaron decides to call Angie at the hospital she is at. He knows what room she is in and calls her directly.

"Hello." she answers the phone.

"Hello Angie, its Aaron."

"Darling, what are you up to do today? It is good to hear you talking."

"The team and I are at your place."

"Why are you there?"

"Susan did what we suspected she might do. She kidnapped Rossi and Reid early this week and we came to rescue them. We found Reid up here in the nursery and Morgan and Prentiss went down to the dungeon, but it has been a while and they haven't come back up. I want to get into the security camera system and check the situation before sending anyone else down. We need your password sweetheart."

"Let me speak to Garcia."

"You are on speakerphone."

"Penelope, it is his last name."

Garcia furls her eyebrows at that and then types H-O-T-C-H-N-E-R into the login security password box. Once in the system went wild and she had access to the entire program and she sees the camera in the dungeon. She sees Morgan, Prentiss and Rossi in the room and she sees Susan in a far corner holding a remote control to the bomb that was attached to the bottom of the bed that Rossi was on. Morgan and Prentiss had their guns pointed at her. It seems that there is a standoff. "Oh no, "she says. JJ and Spencer look at the screen. JJ immediately gets on her cell phone to the local agency and has them send some agents and a bomb squad.

Angie asks, "Did you get in Penelope?"

"Yes, we got it. Thanks."

"Sweetheart" She says groggily.

Aaron answers, "Yes Angie."

"Remember the time; I think she will kill herself in order to make sure that David dies. The time will be 11:59am, remember that darling." Angie hangs up because she is not able to stay awake from the test that she took that morning.

They all look at the clock and see that it is now 11:25am.


	23. The Dungeon

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Three.**

Sean goes over to his brother and asks him, "How are doing?"

Aaron looks at him wearily and says, "I am fine. I want to get my agents safe before we do anything with me." Sean is not happy with that statement but is going to give Aaron a little leeway in this situation. He wants to trust that the man will not be foolish enough to try to go to the dungeon.

"Aaron, stay in the office, you don't need to go to the dungeon, let your team and fellow agents do that job. You delegate the authority and don't join in."

"Sean, I need to get my friend out of there, he was there for me and I have to be there for him."

"Aaron, do not go into that dungeon. Spencer, please keep an eye on him and do not take him anywhere. I am going to go fix some lunch." Sean heads to the kitchen to do what he loves and cook. He is trusting his brother will not leave the office.

The local agents and bomb squad arrive and all head to the dungeon door. Aaron watches them and stands up to join them at the door of the dungeon. He uses all the energy he can to walk to the door and does so because of the strength of his will. He walks down the stairs to the locked door which the others are trying to unlock. He goes to the door and punches in a four digit number which unlocks the door. The head local agent takes lead and bangs the door open and with the guns pointed at Susan enters the room. After all of the other seven people enter the room, Aaron walks in. He looks around and a terrifying feeling of déjà vu comes over him. He looks at Rossi on the bed, he sees the whips and weapons on the wall, he looks over and in his mind sees the cage that is not really there. The man whimpers and starts to hyperventilate. The local agent do not notice what the man is doing, but Morgan sees him and Rossi looks up and sees him, tries to move his mouth to tell Morgan to get him out of there. Morgan is ahead of him and moves behind the agents to Aaron's side. "Hotch, why are you down here? Go back upstairs now."

He answers, "No I have to…I have to…" The memories become overwhelming as the man closes his eyes to hide away from the scene. Morgan does not listen to the man, but instead puts his gun away and lifts the man to take him upstairs. Aaron protests, "No, I have to stay and help." Morgan smacks him on his backside and says, "Stop squirming, I don't want to drop you." At the top of the stairs he walks through the doors into the playroom and into the bedroom and put Aaron in the crib. "You stay there." He leaves the room and closes the door behind him while Aaron lets out a stream of angry words as he pounds against the rails of the crib until wearily he falls back into the corner and into his own tortured mind of memories.

Morgan hurries back to the door and heads back down. The agents have carefully continued to enter the room; Susan continues to watch and keeps her hand on the detonator of the bomb. She doesn't really want to kill anyone except David but the agents keep coming, the bomb squad begins to look at the bomb under the bed. When Prentiss finally goes to Rossi and unlocks the chains, "No." says Susan as Morgan goes and takes the man off the bed. Susan screams and moves toward the men. The agents shoot towards her and bring her down. Morgan gets Rossi upstairs and places him on the floor where JJ had placed a blanket to cover him up. An ambulance has arrived and the EMT's check out the man and begin to prepare to take him to the hospital for a thorough check up. They place an IV into him and Prentiss and JJ join him to go to the hospital.

The bomb squad continued to try to take time to learn about and disarm the bomb, but it is unusual and completely enclosed in the bed frame. The other agents check Susan and discover that one of the shots was a kill shot. Susan is dead. The coroner is called.

In the office upstairs, Garcia is still going through the computer with Spencer reading some of the many files that Angie has in her office. Sean comes in from the kitchen. He looks around and asks. "Where's Aaron? I left him in here, where is he?" Neither of our agents there remembers what happened to him. They know they did not take him anywhere and they did not remember seeing anybody else there but they also did not expect that he would have walked out on his own.

Sean says, "Spencer, I asked you to keep an eye on him. Spencer we need to clean you up before lunch. Lunch is in the dining room. "

Spencer says, "I don't need to be changed but if you could help me go to the bathroom and then put some more lotion on when I am finished."

Sean smiles and says, "You are right, let's treat you like you are in training pants instead of a diaper. Come on." The men leave the room to go to the changing room bath room. They walk through the play room and see Morgan. Sean asks him, "Have you seen Hotch?"

"Not since I put him in the crib and believe me he wasn't happy about it but he should not have been where he was. I don't know who was supposed to be watching him ten minutes ago, but he got away from them."

"Explain what you are talking about Morgan? Where did you find him?"

"He was downstairs in the dungeon."

"What?!?"

"He came in the with the other agents and then he started to freak, so I carried him back up and put him in the crib. What were you doing?"

"I left him in the office with Garcia and Reid and went to fix some lunch for the people in the house."

Reid says, "But neither Garcia nor I took him anywhere or saw him leave with anyone."

Morgan says, "All I know is that he was there."

Sean listened to Morgan tell him this and began to get angry at his brother, who he thought knew better than to go someplace he wasn't supposed to go and wouldn't put himself in that kind of situation. He thought he could trust his brother.

He says, "I am going to clean Spencer up, lunch is in the dining room if you will spread the word. I will take care of my brother when I finish with Spencer." The men separate and in the bed room, Sean puts Spencer on the changing table and removes his pants and diaper and sends him to the bath room to use the toilet. Spencer comes back when he is finished and Sean spreads lotion on his rash and puts a clean diaper on him. After redressing him, Spencer goes to the dining room and gets some lunch.

All of a sudden there is a heavy explosion and the building rocks to its core. It is 11:59am and the bomb automatically explodes and destroys the dungeon. However, because of the construction and engineering improvements that Angie had made in the house. It seems the dungeon was actually just a plain room that was not attached to the foundation of the house and destroying it only causes things to falloff shelves. The reinforced steel and titanium that constitute the foundation hold up just fine.

Sean had been fixing up the diapering area and turns around to see his formidable strong big brother looking anything but. He was sitting in the corner of the crib and had his head down and his arms covering him. He had placed the crib's blanket over himself. Sean walked over and lifted the edge of the blanket to see his brother looking terrified and crying. Sean pulls the blanket off, lowers the crib rail and reaches out to his brother, who grabs onto the man like a life line. Sean picks him up and takes him to the double rocking chair and begins to rock his brother to comfort the man.

Penelope was curious as to what happened to our men and came into the playroom and sees the chair rocking, she goes over and sees Sean holding Aaron and he is sucking on Sean's index finger. She remembers that when Henry did that to JJ's finger, it was because he was hungry and she didn't have anything at the time to feed him. She goes to the bottle cabinet and takes one out for Aaron and brings it back to Sean. He looks up at her and says, "Thanks." He takes his finger out of Aaron's mouth and the man opens his eyes and sees the bottle that Sean holds up. He smiles and opens his mouth. Sean places the bottle in his brother's mouth and continues to rock. Garcia places her hand on the bosses' head and asks Sean, "Can I get you anything?"

"No Penelope but thanks for asking."

"Morgan, Spencer and I are going to the hospital to check on Rossi and relieve Prentiss and JJ so they can come back and have some lunch."

"Okay, Aaron is going down for a nap and then we are going to talk about this morning." Aaron opens his eyes and looks at Sean and notices the suppressed anger in his eyes. He knows in his heart that Sean would never hurt him but a hand of fear strikes his head and he whimpers. Sean looks down at him. "It is okay, just sleep now Aaron. Penelope, tell Spencer that I do want to check him in about three hours. So have him back here by then. Tell Rossi, that Aaron and I will see him tomorrow.

A few hours later, Sean is still in the rocker as he had closed his eyes and fell asleep in the chair after putting Aaron in the crib. Behind him in the play room and then the office are agents going through the destroyed dungeon looking for evidence against the siblings and Morgan and Prentiss decided to go check out one of the brother's contacts that Penelope had found. Penelope has stayed with Rossi and JJ came back with Spencer, who complained that he was okay and did not to be babied. JJ just patted his bottom when he said that and he went beet red.

JJ says, "Spencer, go find Sean to change your diaper and ask him if he knew of a place where you could take a nap."

He responds, "I don't need a nap, I am just fine. What makes you think I need a nap?" as he yawns again for third time in five minutes.

"Because you almost fell asleep in the car on the way back from the hospital and you have been squirming while trying to keep your eyes open. Go find Sean now or I will take care of you." Spencer runs into the playroom to see if he could find Sean and finally finds him in the chair but doesn't want to wake him up. Too late, Sean was already waking because he sleeps very lightly now and seems to know when he is needed by Aaron and by extension now, Spencer. He looks up and sees Spencer looking down on him looking hesitantly at him.

Sean looked up at him and said, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"You told me to come and get cleaned up."

Sean smiles and says, "I take it you need to be cleaned up."

Hanging his head low, Spencer answers, "Yes." Sean gets up and takes Spencer's hand and they head to the changing table.

Later that night at the hotel, Sean had Spencer stay with him and Aaron instead of getting another hotel room. They had to stop and get some clothes for the man since he did not have a go bag and he didn't want to continue to wear the childish clothes that Angie had at her place. The two queen size beds in the room would fit the men fine. Sean and Aaron slept in one while Spencer took the other. What surprised Spencer was waking up in the middle of the night by Aaron's whimpering and crying in the other bed.

Sleepily he asks, "Sean what is happening? What is it?"

Sean answers, "Go back to sleep Spencer." He has wrapped Aaron in his arms and was rocking him and whispering soothing words to the man. Spencer watches this interaction and wonders if this was usual. "Spencer, go back to sleep! This does not concern you and I don't want you to lose sleep over it. This is normal. Aaron hasn't slept a full night since he got out of the hospital. In his sleep, he is back there with that man. Go back to sleep Spencer." Spencer gets out of bed instead and walks to the other side of the bed and gets in on the other side of Aaron and along side of Sean start to rock with them and whisper soothing words to his boss. The three men fall asleep in this position.


	24. Saturday

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Four.**

The three men wake up the next morning feeling stiff. The only one confused in the morning is Aaron because he didn't realize that the other two were holding him until he woke in their arms. Sean then had his hands full with cleaning up both men because Spencer needed to be changed and have his rash taken care of and then Aaron needed to be changed and dressed and then fed his bottle. While Aaron had his bottle, the rest of the team arrived and they began to talk about what they were planning for the day.

Morgan says, "We didn't find anything at the place Prentiss and I went yesterday, the man said that he hasn't seen the brother since he left the prison six years ago. There are two more we are going to check out today and then we can go visit Rossi."

"We can hopefully find out where the brother is if not be able to arrest him at this time. "Says Prentiss.

A knock is heard on the door and Sean gets up to answer and on the other side is Angie.

"Hello," she says, "can I come in." The man hugs her.

"Please come in and why aren't you in your hospital bed."

"I don't have tests over the weekend, so I decided not to stay. I have that option. I didn't want to sit in a hospital bed and be bored. I can be bored at home just as easily, but I came here first."

"I am glad to see you."

"Is there a problem, Sean?"

"I have to talk to my brother about what he did yesterday and I don't really know how to discipline him for being disobedient." This was all talk between only these two people.

"What did he do?"

"He went down into the dungeon when I told him that he shouldn't and to delegate to his team and agents. He freaked and Morgan had to carry him back up. He hasn't come out of the fear since."

"What do you mean?"

"I look at him right now and I see him reliving it. He hasn't spoken since then. Before then, he was beginning to walk and was talking well and being more of an adult. But since 11:30 yesterday morning all I see is the baby." She reaches up and gives comfort to the man seemed upset about once again losing his big brother.

"Well then maybe I can help." She comes in and says hi to the team. She sits down next to Aaron and places her hand on his leg. He looks at the hand and then lifts his head to the face looking at him. He reaches for her and the two hug fiercely. They break apart and look at each other in the eye and the others in the room decide it was time to leave and give them some privacy.

She says, "I heard you were disobedient yesterday."

He looks at her and slowly nodded his head and quietly says, "I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it but I got there and all I could see was me and that cage that wasn't there. I can't forget now and I am so scared now. He is going to get me again and this time I won't escape him. He is my master." She cups his face in her hands and looks at him straight.

She says, "He is not your master, you have no master. You are the most strong, capable, loving and gentle man that I have ever known, even over my brothers. I need you to come back from where you now because you have responsibilities. Your son needs you, your brother needs you, your agents need you and I need you." The man hears her words but is still in the grip of hearing that man calling him puppy and to get in your cage. He just wants to forget. How can he forget? He looks at her and does the most spontaneous thing he can think of. He kisses her.

She pulls away from him after the kiss and says, "If you think kissing me is going to get you out of being punished by your disobedience yesterday, think again."

"No, I didn't think that. I just wanted to forget about that man and kissing you seemed the best way for me to do that." She smiled at him for that. This man makes her feel so protected and loved. Something of a new feeling for her and she is not sure how to respond to it. He is the one needing protecting and to be loved and taken care of. He is the one needing a hero but his innate quality is to be the hero. How can you protect the protector?

"I need to go and see David. I am worried about him and need to make sure he is going to be okay and I heard they had to kill Susan to save him. I need you to be strong."

"I want to go see Rossi too so can we do my punishment after we get back? I really don't want to be squirming in my seat."

"You think your punishment will be a spanking?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe in spanking babies."

"Sometimes you need to make an exception for adult babies." She places her hand on his cheek and he pulls her close to him.

Sean breaks into this moment and says, "I have every intention of punishing my big brother for doing something I told him not. To. Do. But we can wait until this afternoon after seeing David."

Putting Aaron in his stroller the agents, Sean and Angie head to the hospital to see David and invade his room en masse. Angie goes to the side of his bed and strokes his head and he opens her eyes to look at her.

"Hello handsome how are you feeling?" she asks him.

"I feel like I have been through a blender."

"I saw your body and it looks like that too. I thought I told you to take care of yourself and not let this happen. I am very disappointed that it happened but grateful that you are alive." She bends to kiss him.

The agents express their statements to that same effect. Morgan and Prentiss head out to check out the other contacts and Garcia gets Angie's permission to head back to her place and do research on the computer since she now knows the keys and passwords to get in. Sean takes Aaron out of the stroller and sat him on the edge of the bed next to David and the men held eyes and hands in mutual respect and understanding of each other. JJ is taking the train back to D. C. to see her son and check on any cases that may have come in. Spencer feels mildly out of place because he wants to work but doesn't feel quite up to it just yet. So he just sits in the corner of the hospital room and reads one of the several books that he took from Angie's.

Angie, Aaron and David talk throughout the morning until Sean takes Aaron to give him a late morning bottle and have him take a nap in the day room. Spencer gets changed at this time and spends the rest of the morning in the day room while David takes a rest and Angie just sits in the room and looks after her brother. When lunch time comes, it seems all of our men are awake again and Angie assists David in eating his lunch, she didn't have to, but he let her anyway. Sean has Spencer feed Aaron while he and Angie went out of the hospital to get themselves and Spencer some lunch. When they arrive back with the food, Sean takes over holding Aaron while Spencer ate. That afternoon, Angie stays at David's side while he rests and the men go back to the hotel room where Sean makes Spencer and Aaron take naps and also rested.

Later in the evening, the men go back and see David again. It appears that he is doing very well; most of the damage was dehydration and the muscle and skin damage from the whippings, but the doctors' plan on sending him home on Monday. Morgan and Prentiss come also but the places they went to were duds again, the man is still being elusive. Garcia found more contacts that they will be able to check out while she was on the computer at Angie's. Our agents all go back to their hotel rooms and Angie goes home for the night.

At the hotel, Sean gets his men ready for bed, but has still not forgotten that Aaron needs to be punished for his disobedience of the day before. He has never had to punish his brother before but he is currently his guardian and is responsible for his actions and keeping him safe. His mistake was in trusting him or was it a mistake? Shouldn't Aaron be able to make that choice or is he not ready for the choices like that? Sean ponders these questions. Is Aaron ready to go back to work on a limited basis? Can he make the decisions to lead his team and guide his agents to a good conclusion? Is the decision that he made yesterday an example of that or just a man's own ego to show that he is in charge of his own life and can make his own choices? Was Aaron going into the dungeon a good choice? If the way the man is acting now is a result of that choice, then no, the choice was not good. But is it deserving of punishment, if so what kind?

Aaron breaks into Sean's reverie by mildly touching his face, Sean looks down at his brother who is drinking his bottle and looking at him with a question of penny for your thoughts on his face. His response, "My thoughts are about punishing you for what you did yesterday by going down into the dungeon. Are you happy now that you know what my thoughts are?" Aaron closes his eyes and then opens them again wondering what his brother's decision was. "I haven't made my decision yet. If it were your decision to make in this case how would you deal with the person who did what you did?" Aaron shook his head slightly to say he cannot answer because each case must be taken on its own merits and he cannot make that decision for himself. "I didn't think you would answer. Just let me think and you just drink your bottle." He looks up and over to the other bed at Spencer, who was just reading another of Angie's books. "Are the books any good, Spencer?"

The man looks up and says, "Actually these are books that I have never even heard of and I'm finding them quite interesting. Angie has a library of rare and not so rare books of every genre and type you can find and none of the books are brand new. From what I read in her files and on her library computer, she gets them from estate sales and used book stores. She has completely catalogued the entire library and the rarity of many of the books is amazing. Most of the books in her library I have never even heard of except in bibliographies. I look forward to reading the entire library. From the sheer number of books that she has, it will take awhile even with how fast I read. I am having fun."

"When was the last time you went to the bathroom?"

"I don't remember." He goes back to reading with a mild squirm.

"Maybe you should go."

"I don't need to go." He squirms a little more. Sean puts Aaron down on the bed and gets up to go to Spencer. He looks down and Spencer looks up at him. "What? I don't need to go to the bathroom."

"I know you don't need to go to the bathroom." Spencer nods his head and goes back to reading. "You already went and need to be changed." Spencer looks up.

"I would know that wouldn't I. I do have control of my bladder and know when I need to go."

"Get up Spencer and let's clean you up." Sean walks to get the diaper stuff out; he has made a changing table out of the long dresser in the room. He looks around and Spencer is still sitting on the bed.

"I don't need to be changed, I am not wet." He squirms again. Sean just looks at him. He walks over to the bed that Spencer is sitting on and the man scoots to the furthest end of the bed that Sean is walking towards.

"Spencer, stop acting like a child and let me check your diaper." He walks around the bed to the other side to get the man. Spencer scoots to the other side. Sean is now getting mildly irritated and pulls on the bedspread to pull the man towards him. Spencer squeals and tries to get away, but Sean is able to reach out to grab the man's ankle. He pulls and Spencer is in front of him. Sean reaches down and lifts him up, Spencer squirms and tries to get down, Sean smacks his backside several times to stop the squirming. Spencer stops and starts to cry instead. At the changing table, Sean lays the man down and pulls off his pajama bottoms and begins to remove the plastic pants and the very wet diaper. Sean cleans the man and puts lotion on the rash and puts a dry diaper and plastic pants on him. He takes off the pajama top and instead puts one of Aaron's sleepers on the man. He carried him over to the bed with Aaron and goes to remake the other bed. Aaron takes Spencer in his arms and comforts the still crying 'man'.

Sean looks at the two men on the bed, one is already crying and now he has to make the other one cry, could he feel any worse. He walks over to the bed and sits down and pulls his big brother over to him. He begins to remove his sleeper and notices the wet diaper. He removes the diaper completely and places his brother over his lap; Aaron has already started to cry. He knows that he did wrong but to be spanked like this was so humiliating to him, Sean puts his hand down on his older brother's bottom. SMACK. "You will." SMACK. "Never disobey." SMACK. "Me again." SMACK. "When I say." SMACK. "That you do not." SMACK. "Do something." SMACK. "You will not do it." SMACK. SMACK. SMACK.

The cries are heavy and deep as Sean picks up his brother and holds him in his arms, rubbing his back and rocking the man. Spencer comes over and leans against Sean, who lets the man in and comforts him too. Sean has come to realize that right now he has two very little boys with him and he is daddy to both of them. After a few minutes, he sets Aaron off his lap and gets up, picks up Aaron and goes to clean him and put a fresh diaper on him. He puts him in his sleeper and goes back to the bed with Spencer still on it, sniffling. Taking a tissue, he has the boy blow his nose and then sits with both laying on either side of him and starts to read the book that he has been reading to Aaron for the past week. Spencer gets caught up in it as well and both boys are asleep after a few chapters.

Sean carefully gets off the bed and prepares himself for bed. He lies down on the other bed but knows that he will wake up in a few hours and move over to the other bed when Aaron starts having his bad dreams. But he tries to get a few hours of sleep alone.


	25. Back to Work

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Five.**

Monday morning finds out agents back home at Quantico heading into work. Rossi is released from the hospital and is finally going to his own home, which he hasn't been in for quite some time. He will need some care but should return to work in a just a few days. He was not tortured mentally so he is not in the same shape as Aaron after the ordeal. Sean takes Aaron in his stroller and Spencer to the headquarters and stays with Aaron in his office after placing him in his office chair. Remember the director has ordered that he begin to return to work on a limited basis. Spencer feels he is doing great and plans to return to his own home that night. Morgan and Prentiss are back after checking out more contacts in New York to no avail. They plan on checking the D. C. area contacts now. Garcia is happy to be back in her little bunker. JJ is working at the different cases that come and needs to decide on the cases they take. She has found one and extols everyone to meet in the round room.

Sean carries Aaron in and puts him in a chair while the remainder agents gather. She begins to talk about the case and Aaron agrees that they should take it.

He says, "Although, I will not be able to go with you because I'm not allowed in the field. Morgan can handle the leadership while there, but I will just a call away. The wheels will go up in thirty minutes and I will hear from you soon." Sean takes Aaron back to the office and reads a good book while Aaron works at the pile of paperwork on his desk.

Spencer feels a little out, since he doesn't feel quite up to par yet, but he is working on it and will not be left out.

Back in New York, Angie goes back to the hospital for her final tests and is uncertain as to how she should tell Spencer about the problem she had discovered. It seems that Susan had been feeding him an experimental drug that Angie had been designing to help her clients who want to be babies for awhile actually lose full control over their bladders. The drug has had very few tests done and nothing for long term or overdosing has been tested, until Susan overdosed Spencer. She wants to check the man's blood and see what if any damage may have occurred from the overdosing. After her final test, she decides to go to Quantico and talk with the man while waiting for the doctor to get the results. He can contact her there.

When she arrives however, the agents, including Spencer, had already left for the case. She wonders how the boy is going to deal with his uncontrollable bladder problem. She sees Sean and Aaron and decides to tell them about the drug.

"Sean, Aaron, I need to tell you something about what Susan did to Spencer."

Aaron says, "What do you mean Angie? What else did she do?"

"She drugged him."

"Can you explain that in more detail?"

"I have designed an experimental drug for my clients who want a more baby like experience by losing full control of their bladders. The effects are temporary if given in a small dosage. Large dosage had not been tested yet and why would I test a large dose if I know a small dose is sufficient to do the job. Susan gave multiple large doses of the drug to Spencer. I don't know what the effects of these dosages will be. Hopefully it will be no different than a normal dosage but I won't know until I test the blood and do some neurological tests on the bladder area. If its normal then his control would come back after two weeks, if not then we need to determine whether control would ever come back or if his muscles atrophy."

"Are you saying that Spencer might not ever be able to control his bladder muscles again?"

"Yes, that is what I am saying. It is not the end of the world, but he will need to wear protective underwear for the rest of his life possibly."

"That's just not what he needs."

"I didn't do to him."

"I know it is not your fault. It's just another result of the torturous siblings."

Sean says, "Do you think she may have done that to Aaron?"

"Well, he only ate once under her control, she might have put it in there but I don't think it would have an overdose and it has been more than two months since then. Any consequence would be known at this time."

"Then I don't think she did, his lack of control is more by choice than anything else."

"Well, I am going to go and stay with David while he recovers. I wanted to come by and see you and let you know about Spencer."

On the plane to the case, Morgan notices something unusual about Spencer and goes over to the man to talk to him. "Spencer, I don't mean to interfere in your life but I think you just wet your pants."

Spencer looks up at him and then down and notices the same thing. "Oh shit, how did? I didn't even feel it happening."

"Don't freak out, we can get you cleaned up. Where's your bag so we can get a clean pair of pants."

"In the baggage area, I am not Hotch and I don't need a diaper bag."

"With what you just did, are you sure you don't need a diaper bag?"

"That's not funny Morgan."

Prentiss notices the men are talking low and decides to find out why. She asks, "What's up guys? Anything I can do to help?" She starts to walk over to them.

Spencer cries out, "No don't come over here." She stops and looks perplexed. JJ looks up and also wonders what was wrong.

At that moment the laptop buzzes and Aaron is on the video feed. He feels that he needs to tell Spencer and warn him about his problem. The other agents could not help but overhear the conversation and the girls now know what the 'problem' Spencer currently has.

Understandably Spencer gets very upset at the news. "Great, I am treated like every body's little brother already, now all of you will just treat me like the baby I guess I am." He gets up and goes to the bathroom on the jet to see if he can at least clean up a little.

When the plane lands, Morgan gets Spencer's bag and brings it to the man before he gets off the plane. After he changes, the group goes to meet the sheriff who asked them to come. Morgan and Reid go to the latest scene and begin to profile. JJ works with the locals to get all the files and has them all faxed to Hotch to get his input and then Garcia on getting some info about the victims. Prentiss begins to interview the victims.

It doesn't take too long before they have a working profile. Before Morgan and Reid head to the locals' office, they stop at the store. Reid buys some protective underwear because he doesn't want to show wet pants to the locals. His problem was that he wasn't sure what size to get and just picked one off the shelf. When he took it to the bathroom to put one on, he discovered they were a little big on him. But he just wore them anyway, not realizing that too big can lead to leaks.

It doesn't take long for the profile to get out and for the unsub to be found.

In Quantico, Sean had already taken Aaron home and put him to bed. The team flew home very late that night and Spencer fell asleep on the jet and once again wet his pants, although the brief took most of it, it did leak and the disposable rubbed against him the wrong way and he began to get another rash. It seems that our boy's very sensitive behind is allergic to the materials in the disposables. It irritates and hurts when he wakes up at the plane's arrival in Virginia. Morgan notices that Spencer's pants were wet again and tries to help the boy out by having his bag ready so that he can change into dry pants. In the plane's tiny bathroom, Spencer removes everything below the waist and then just sits and cries because his bottom hurts again and he doesn't want to put another disposable on which would make it hurt even more.

"Come on Reid, finish up in there so they can close the plane down. Let's get you home."

Spencer opens the door and says, "Can you take me to Hotch's place instead? I don't want to be home alone."

"Sure, come on and let's go."

The men leave and Morgan drives them to the Hotchner apartment. The lights are on at the apartment because Sean is holding Aaron in the rocking chair. Aaron just had a bad dream and needed to be awakened and comforted. When Reid and Morgan knock at the door, it startles both the men and Aaron sits up so that Sean can check out who is at the door. It was a surprise to see the two men there and they were let in the apartment. Sean sits back down on the rocker and Aaron lies back down in his arms.

Sean says, "Hello guys, what are you doing here so late or should I say early this morning."

Morgan responds, "We just got back in from the case and Spencer didn't want to go back to his place. He wanted to come here." Spencer looks at Derek with trepidation and bites his lip when he looks back at Sean. Sean looks at him and watches while the man wets himself right in from of him and doesn't even realize that he had done it.

"Is there something you wanted or needed Spencer?"

"Could you take care of me Sean? I don't think I can do it myself." He hangs his head low and feels so ashamed by having to ask to taken care of by this man in the rocking chair. Who is just one year older than he is but right now he wants to say to him daddy take care of me.

Sean look at the two men standing before him and sits Aaron up and says to Derek, "Could you sit and hold Aaron while I go take care of Spencer?" He smiles and acts very pleased to hold his boss in the chair and replaces Sean in the chair. Sean gently puts his brother in his arms. He gets a bottle and hands it to Derek for Aaron, who begins to suckle greedily. He takes Spencer's hand and takes him to the bedroom. He takes the man to the changing table and takes off his clothes. He washes him up and then lies him down and puts a cloth diaper on him after putting the rash lotion all over his bottom. He puts a plastic pair of pants on him and then puts a purple sleeper on the man. He picks him up and puts him in the crib to lie down. "Go to sleep Spencer. I will get you up in the morning and we can discuss more about your problem." He turns and shuts off the overhead light but makes sure the nightlight is on and the door is kept slightly ajar.

Back in the living room, he looks at Morgan sleeping in the chair while holding Aaron, who is still drinking from his bottle. Sean picks up Aaron and puts him in his bed and then places a blanket over Morgan and puts the rocker blocks in place so that he doesn't flip over when he wakes to where he is. Going back to his bedroom, he catches Aaron just as he was about to get off the bed. Sometimes Sean forgets that he can't really trust Aaron to stay where he puts him. He gets his brother and places him further on the bed and gets into bed beside him and holds him while he goes back to sleep.


	26. Friday Night Dinner

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Six.**

Several days later, Spencer is still staying with the Hotchners and many times Sean does feel like he has two little boys at home and is beginning to feel a great deal of empathy for mothers who have little children at home. There is still only one bed in the nursery and so he is having to share his bed with one of the boys and really wants to have something for himself. He takes the men to work in the morning and while Aaron takes his afternoon nap and then begins to see the agency psychiatric center after his nap three days a week, Sean usually is able to do some errands and spends time alone. Spencer is working in the office on cold cases.

On Friday, Angie leaves very early in the morning to go to New York to talk to her doctor about the results of the tests she has taken for her vision. She will be sending things from the house over to the Hotchners, including more books for Spencer. David is going in to work for the only time that week. He is feeling a great deal better, but is not allowed to drive yet. So he has to take the bus. He meets the Hotchners on the bus to the agency. Sean takes the bus because the vehicle that he has ordered has not yet been delivered and he won't drive Aaron's car. Spencer takes the bus and train many times himself. Because Aaron is in the stroller, they get priority seating, he is considered disabled. The men meet and then get off the bus at the agency stop.

Work is slow but that's okay for them right now. Sean leaves the building after putting Aaron in his stroller for his afternoon nap. He asks David to change him and give him his afternoon bottle when he wakes up. He also asks David to change Spencer at that time as well. The agents have begun to regulate their days by Aaron's schedule and when he is able to do things. Sean does not expect to be back in time for he is getting a new bed for the nursery and has to be there to rearrange the room and have it set up. Sean also asks David to bring them home on the bus and to stay for dinner. He invites all of the team over for dinner, which he will serve at 7:00pm.

Angie arrives back from New York late in the afternoon and calls Sean to see if the stuff has arrived.

"Hello Angie. I am at the apartment now. I am clearing space and preparing to put the room together when the van arrives."

"It hasn't arrived yet?"

"No, but the driver called fifteen minutes and said they were on the beltway and should be here within the next hour. So it is a waiting game, but I getting dinner ready, lots of chopping to do. You will be here right.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I am actually heading to the agency and check on the boys. I'll probably come home with them."

"I'll see you then. Bye."

Angie has just gotten off the bus and was heading to the BAU offices. It is after four o'clock and when she gets there, some bit of chaos is happening. Spencer will not let David take care of him. He will only allow Sean to do it and is very adamant about it. So he is sitting in a corner pouting and fidgeting because he is wet and his bottom is sore. The other agents continue to try to ignore him without breaking out into laughter at his infantile behavior. Aaron has tried to talk to the man, but since he doesn't walk, he can't get to him. Spencer walked away. David changed and fed Aaron and the men are actually working at getting away from the office on time. Spencer is being no help in this. Angie finds the whole situation amusing.

She walks over to Spencer and puts out her hand to give him a lift from the floor. He looks and sees her stern and maternal face looking at him. He crumples his face and puts his face in his hands. He feels ashamed at his actions and feelings about what is happening to him. She just stands there with her hand out to him. After several minutes, he puts his hand into hers and she pulls him off the floor. She lifts his chin and says, "Let's change your pants." He slowly nods his head and walks with her to the round room where she prepares to clean him up. She places the moisture proof pad on the table and takes off the man's pants and lie him down on the pad. After removing his wet diaper and plastic pants, she cleans his front and then turns him over to wash his rash and then smacked him. "Ow", he cries. She proceeds to give him five more smacks on his bottom and while she is smacking him. She says, "You do not do this again. You will have someone clean and change you if your caretaker is not able to do so. Your caretaker will have provided someone. I don't care who it is that does it; whether it is a co-worker, a friend, a boss, or the sixteen-year-old neighbor's daughter that he hired to babysit. You will allow this to be done or I will spank you again." She puts his rash lotion on and turns him over to put a fresh diaper on the man. She redresses him in his clothes and they leave the room. "Get your things because we are going home now."

She goes up to Aaron's office and sees him at his desk as he is doing some paperwork and looks up at her.

"Hi, Angie, why are you here?"

"I am here to take you home. Finish your paperwork, we leave in five minutes." She walks out the door before he raises a complaint that he is not ready to leave yet. She heads to the office next door and enters to check on David. He is leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. It has felt like a very long day. "Hello David." He opens his eyes to see her and smiles. "Are you ready to go to the Hotchners for dinner? We'll go home after dinner."

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as I put Aaron into his stroller."

"That might take time." She chuckles.

"Not as long as you might think. Get ready to go and meet me at the elevator with Spencer." She goes back out the door and back into Aaron's office. He still has some files open and his computer up. "Ready?"

"I have a few more things to do before we leave."

"Will you lose your job if they are not done tonight?"

"No, but I…"

"Then they can wait until Monday to do. Close it down." She goes and opens the stroller up and prepares it to be filled with our man. She gets his diaper bag and takes out a clean diaper and wipes to clean him with. Turning back to the desk, she looks and sees that he still has not put anything away. She goes to do that herself. Closing the files and removing them from his desk, she then goes to log off and shut down the computer. He is trying to stop her by getting in her way and so she pushes his office chair into the corner until she has the desk cleared. She goes back to the man in the chair and lifts him out of the chair and places him on the desk. "Would you like to be dressed into a clean diaper before we leave?" He looks at her angrily because of the matter of fact way she did this, as if he has no choice in the matter. He doesn't realize that he has no choice. He is not comfortable because he needs to be changed but is about to say no when she lies him back on the desk and pulls down his pants. He loses choice in this as well as she removes his diaper and places the dry one on him. After pulling his pants back up, she takes the man and puts him in his stroller. She gives him a bottle and they head out of the office to the elevator where David and Spencer are already waiting.

She stops by JJ's office to remind her that dinner is being offered by Sean at 7:00pm and she is welcome to bring Henry and Will. She stops by each of the agents desks and reminds them of dinner. Our agents tell her that they plan on being there and will see her then. She and her boys head to the bus stop and Aaron has already fallen asleep in his stroller. When they get off at bus stop near home, it is almost six o'clock and Spencer seems to be dragging his feet. They enter the door into the Hotchner apartment and the most wonderful smell escape. Sean comes out of the kitchen to greet them and he checked on his brother in the stroller, who was waking up. Spencer grabbed on to the man and said, "Please take care of me?" He looked like he was about to cry. Sean looks at him with concern and then at Angie. She mouthed the word 'nap' and Sean picked Spencer up and carried him to the bedroom where he checked his bottom and put him in the new crib that Angie sent for Spencer to sleep in. The minute his head hit the mattress, the man was asleep.

Less than an hour later, the other agents begin to arrive for dinner. Angie was sitting in the rocker feeding Aaron when Derek first arrives followed by Penelope and then JJ and her family. David opens the door for them and they all come in and bring gifts with them. Derek brought a bottle of wine for the grownups and a bottle of grape juice for the not so grownups. Penelope brought a bottle of wine as well, but didn't think to get something for the 'young' ones, she feels so bad now. JJ brought some of Henry's favorite foods since she wasn't sure what Sean would be making and if he thought of how young Henry was. She forgot what mental age Hotch is right now and needn't have worried. Sean had Henry covered.

Spencer was in the nursery and when he woke up; he found himself in the crib and called out since the rails were too high for him to climb out of. Derek went in to the room and offered to lift him up. Spencer wasn't sure that he wanted Derek to do so. The gang treats him like a little kid already, did he really want them to see this part of his life as well right now. Derek says, "Sean is busy finishing cooking dinner and Angie is feeding Hotch. It is me or you stay in the crib." Since he didn't want to stay in the crib, Spencer allowed Derek to lift him out. Derek, however, did not put the man down on his two feet instead he took him over to the changing table and sat him down. Spencer looked at Derek and then hung his head low because he knew what Derek wanted to do. He remembered the spanking earlier that day from Angie and lied down so that Derek could do the job of changing his diaper. Derek was gentle and finished the job quickly. The men join the others in the living room.

The older people were watching Henry play with all the toys that Sean had gotten and were at the full end of the room. There were blocks, cars, trucks, action figures, musical instruments, fisher-price and comfort toys like stuffed animals and baby dolls. Angie puts Aaron on the floor and he doesn't like that but accepts it for now. Angie goes into the kitchen to help Sean begin to set the table. He had brought Aaron's dining set brought out of the storage. The team begins to come into the dining room but there is talk and wonder about where Emily is, when there a knock on the door.

Emily is at the door with a date, it is Brian from Aaron's hometown. They had met when the team was there for the bogus case that Kathy had created to get Aaron home. She and he have been dating for a few months now. She is not sure of him because he is an attorney and actually wants to go into the city politics by running for mayor of the town and Emily does not like politics. So they have interesting arguments sometimes about whether they should even see each other. They had a date scheduled for this night and she wasn't sure about coming until he picked her up and she mentioned it. He thought it would be great, Aaron had been a great friend for years but can he see him like he is now. Brian knew him as a child it won't bother him. But they didn't think of how it would affect Aaron.

There were greetings and introductions and everyone goes into the dining room to sit for dinner. Brian notices Aaron still sitting on the floor and goes over to the man.

"Hi Aaron."

Aaron looks up and sullenly responds, "Hello Brian."

"I am glad you are talking to me. Emily said that there was a time when you didn't talk. It is good to hear your voice. Can I help you come to the table?" The others hear this and look at the men talking. How would Brian react to Aaron not walking?

"No. Go away Brian." Brian is taken aback at this and he doesn't understand why Aaron would say it like a petulant child. Emily comes over and takes Brian's hand and brings him back to the table. Sean goes over to Aaron.

"Do you want to sit with the adults at the table? I know you won't eat anything but you can sit with us like an adult." Aaron looks at Sean as he thinks. He wants to but he doesn't want Brian to see him being carried like a baby but how else does he get there unless he crawls on the floor like a baby. Either way he shows to Brian what a baby he is now. He chooses to stay where he is and shakes his head no. Sean is disappointed but leaves him there and goes back to the table. He sits there and listens to the people at the table and wishes he could join in but doesn't want to look a baby in front of Brian. Yet, he doesn't realize that Brian doesn't care about whether he can walk or not, he just wanted to see how his friend was doing. He had heard about the kidnapping and wanted to see how he was doing. He is saddened that Aaron is doing as poorly as he is acting. He did wonder why he didn't eat with the rest of them. What was up with that?

After dinner, the table is cleared and dishes washed, our family and guests go to the living room and continue to talk about what they were talking about at the table. Cases, children and things in general were discussed and argued about. Angie picked Aaron off the floor and put him in the rocker with her. He continued to sit up rather than do what he normally would have done; lie down in her arms. She was pleased that he did that and the two just rocked together.

It continues to get later and Emily asks Brian, "When did you want to leave? You said you wanted to take me dancing?"

He answers, "So I did. We can leave whenever you want to."

"Well then let's leave now because I want to go dancing." She gets up and goes to the door while he says goodbye to everyone. He specifically tells Aaron that it was good to see him again. Aaron just looks at him like the petulant child that he was earlier, but he says bye.

Sean brings a bottle in for Aaron, who lies down in Angie's arms and begins to feed. They didn't want to feed him in front of Brian but Sean and Angie knew he was getting hungry and he was close to demanding a bottle even though he was trying not to be a baby in front of Brian. Sean then goes to Spencer and picks up the man and takes him to be changed into a dry diaper and then dressed into his night clothes, a purple sleeper. He didn't want this right now because he wanted to still be a part of the group. He struggled against Sean and tried not to be dressed in the sleeper but Sean would have nothing of it and threatened to spank him if he didn't sit still. He actually got three smacks on his covered bottom as it was. Sean put him back on his feet and asks, "Do you want to go back out in the living room or to bed?"

"I want to still be with the gang."

"Then let's go."

Back in the living room, JJ is holding Henry while feeding him a bottle and the gang continues to talk the night away. Aaron falls asleep in Angie's arms and Spencer soon curls up on the sofa sitting next to Derek and falls asleep. The others just talk until David falls asleep sitting in the recliner. JJ and her family leave and Penelope left soon after. Derek thought about leaving but didn't want to wake up Spencer who was using him as a pillow. Sean goes and picks him to take him to his crib. Derek leaves soon after. Sean then takes Aaron to be changed, dressed into his night sleeper and puts him in his crib. Angie covers David up with a blanket and then lies down on the sofa to go to sleep there. Sean is surprised but does not stop her. It doesn't bother him. He heads into the other bedroom and goes to bed.


	27. Playing with the Hotchners

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven.**

Very early Saturday morning

Someone is crying and whimpering which wakes up all those who are not doing so. Sean goes into the nursery and takes his brother out of his crib. He takes the whimpering man to the rocking chair and begins to sing softly and rocks him. Angie and David look on at this picture of sweet comfort. Angie realizes now why she couldn't help him; she didn't realize that every night he remembered the torture. He might have had the dreams when he was with her but she did not know because she would wake him up to feed him before the dreams began and she didn't hear the whimpering. She thought it was for something else. It is at this moment that she realizes that she cannot see this man again. She doesn't want to know the baby and she doesn't expect the man to return from where he has hidden himself. The hero was gone she believes.

Later that morning, she tells Sean that she was heading back to New York and would not be returning. If he needed anything or if Spencer wanted books, then she would send them but she would not be coming back here again. She tells this to David as well and he understands and will continue to love her as his sister.

Sean asks, "What about Aaron? I know that you love him, can you just leave him?"

"I have to Sean and I do love what I have seen of the man and what I know of the history of the man and what he has done. But that person in there is not the man I love. I adore the baby but I want the man and he is hiding. You can take care of the baby fine, you are doing a good job and don't need me to interfere with that. I am still assessing the overdose of the drugs on Spencer's system. I would appreciate if you could still report on his bodily functions and emotional actions, so that we can determine what the future may be for it. It may be permanent, it may work its way completely through at any time. The drug is still in his system is all I can tell you right now. Have a blood test taken each week for me to assess, the labs at the agency should do fine and maybe have him also discuss how he feels about it to the psychiatric center. You also need to take care of yourself. Take a day off for yourself at least once a month, have someone else take care of the boys. Sometimes caretakers forget to take care of themselves. You will do neither man any good if you get too exhausted." She turns to leave the apartment and then turns back and says, "If Aaron ever should come back and wants to see me, he needs to come to me dressed as a man, walking and ready to take me out to dinner for surf and turf. He had better be able to eat with me. Otherwise I don't want to see him again." She leaves with tears in her eyes leaving a trio of men having the same tears.

Later that day, David hasn't gone home yet so he is helping Sean prepare the boys for their time outdoors. Sean likes to take Aaron to the park for fresh air and sunshine and now that Spencer is part of the family he is to be included in the walk. Spencer is being a problem again in that he doesn't like the fact that he is going out to play in the park wearing a diaper and plastic pants under the jeans that Sean puts on him. This is the first Saturday with the Hotchner boys and he doesn't know the schedule that Aaron lives by. That in the late morning, the boys go for a walk in the park and then home for lunch and a nap. Spencer will have to accommodate himself to that schedule if he wants to be with the Hotchners and have Sean take care of him. He tries to convince Sean to allow him to stay home alone. Sean will not accept that, if he wants him to take care of him than he follows the schedule and realizes that he will not be left home alone. Spencer finally gives in and the four men at the apartment leave. David did not have to go with them but he thought a good walk would be good for him as well.

When the boys get to the park, Sean walks around the park but doesn't usually stop, since Aaron doesn't get out of the stroller, he is only about the level of a 10-month-old except in his intelligence. But since he doesn't walk or run or play on the swings or anything, it is mainly just walking around that the brothers do. But they now have Spencer, who is a slightly older child for Sean, so they go to the playground and Sean tries to encourage Spencer to play on the equipment. Spencer looks at him a little funny but goes to the swing set and starts to swing, David goes and pushes him. It is an interesting sight but Sean goes over and takes over for David who goes back and rocks the stroller back and forth, while Sean helps his other little boy play. After a little bit, Spencer does begin to really enjoy playing. He went to every piece of equipment on the playground while Sean watched and gave him a boost if necessary. Sean thinks of Spencer in this case of about two and half years, so he tries to get him to play that way. It doesn't take too much to do so. This is a man who struggles with being a man but doesn't know any other way. He didn't really have a childhood of play and imagination. He had too many adult responsibilities at too young of an age. Sean wants him to have some fun. David and Aaron watch on at the sidelines.

After about an hour of play, Sean tells Spencer that it is time to go home for lunch. Like any little child Spencer says, "I don't want to go yet. I want to play." Sean takes him off the slide and takes him by the hand over to where David and Aaron were. Aaron was already napping in the stroller. Spencer struggled a little against Sean because he wanted to play some more. Sean instead lifted the man off his feet and started to carry him while David pushed the stroller for home. Spencer did not like this at all and struggled to get down. Sean asks, "Are you going to walk like a big boy home?" Spencer looks at him and hangs his head down and says yes. Sean puts him down but keeps a hold of his hand.

They get back to the apartment and Sean takes Spencer to the bedroom to change his diaper and then fixes lunch for him and David. He then takes Aaron out of the stroller and changes his diaper and feeds his hungry brother his bottle. David comes in and takes over for Sean in feeding Aaron so that Sean can eat something too. After Spencer finishes lunch then he goes to play with the toys in the living room. He knows he is tired but doesn't want to take a nap but Sean has other ideas for our little boy. When he has finished lunch, he cleans up the kitchen and then goes to take his little boy from the toys to his crib. Spencer weakly fights him but is actually too tired to do. After Spencer is in his crib then comes to get the baby in David's arms, who is already asleep but that doesn't bother Sean, who picks him up and puts him in this crib for his nap.

David goes home while the boys are napping and Sean lies back in the recliner to get some rest himself. When a few hours later, Aaron cries out for Sean, Spencer did not cry out, he just sat in his crib waiting for Aaron to wake up. Spencer did not want to wake him up. Sean came in and found both his boys awake; he goes to Aaron first since he is the one crying. He picks him up and changes his diaper and then puts him in the living room on the floor and goes back to the nursery to take Spencer out of his crib and changes his diaper and then takes him to the living room to play with the toys. The two babies begin to play together, until Sean comes in with a snack for the both of them. He puts the sippy cup of grape juice and animal crackers on the floor next to the rocking chair and Spencer comes and sits there to eat and drink his snack. Aaron gets picked up and Sean sits in the rocker with him drinking his bottle.

When the boys finished their snacks, they go back to the toys and begin to play together, but after a while Aaron decides that he wants the toy that Spencer is playing with instead of the car that he has. Spencer isn't giving it to him but Aaron grabs it anyway. Spencer yells and grabs it back. Aaron screams as he goes for the toy again. He hits the back of Spencer as the boy moves away from Aaron to keep the toy to himself. Aaron crawls behind him. Spencer then stands up and goes to the other side of the room and climbs on the sofa and screams, "You can't have my toy." Spencer is crying because Aaron hit him.

Aaron gets frustrated and screams because he wants it. He just sits there and starts to cry. It is at this moment that Sean finally comes in and sees what his boys are up to. He had been listening to the screams and yells and finally thought he should check it out when he hears crying. Spencer is on the couch holding his toy like it was the most valuable thing in the world and crying. Aaron is sitting on the floor crying and upset because he can't have what he wants. Sean goes to Aaron first, picks the baby up and walks over to get a toy similar to what Spencer is holding and goes to the rocker. He begins to rock him and puts the toy in his arms. Aaron did not really want it but he looked at Sean's face and kept it in his arms while he began to relax and stops crying. Sean looks down at his brother and says, "Feeling better." Aaron nodded his head. "Then tell me what that was about." The man looked perplexed at what Sean was asking. "Do you know what you just did?" The man shook his head in confusion. He looks over to what Spencer is doing and wonders why he is looking at him that way. It seems that our man had an episode of disassociation from himself. He doesn't remember what he did. Spencer just looks at him mad and upset and holding on to the toy.

Sean takes Aaron and puts him down by the toys again and he begins to play with the toy he was playing with earlier. Sean goes over to Spencer and picks him up from the sofa and takes him to the rocker in the dining room and sits with the boy. Spencer looks at him and asks, "What happened to Hotch? Why did he try to take my toy?"

Sean explains to him that sometimes Aaron breaks and acts completely out of character of who he is. The psychiatrist doesn't know why yet but we just have to be patient and gentle with him. He doesn't remember acting this way. When he acts like a real baby. It is weird but I have hope that eventually we will get our real Aaron back. We just have to be patient.

Spencer is still angry with Aaron even if Aaron doesn't know why; Spencer stays away and plays alone with a group of toys. Aaron tries to apologize but Spencer is having none of it. Spencer stays mad all evening long. Tonight Sean feeds Aaron while sitting on the sofa and puts a movie in to watch with the boys. He has Aaron on the left side of him and Spencer comes to sit on the right side of Sean.

The boys watch the movie and just enjoy being next to 'daddy' Sean.


	28. Memorial Day

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Several weeks go by and our boys have gotten into a rhythm, Spencer still has the drug moving throughout his system which is still affecting both his bladder abilities and his emotions. The drug affects certain hormones and at times he acts infantile and young and his normal self at other times. So he has continued to stay with Sean and Aaron and live around Aaron schedule. Sean takes the boys to work in the morning and Aaron works on paperwork and consults in the morning. He then has his lunch and a nap before he goes to the Psychiatrist, Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist; each day is someone different. He gets a feeding and a change before heading to them and then has a feeding and a change before Sean puts him in his stroller and takes him home. Spencer works on cold cases and paperwork unless JJ gets a case in that the BAU has been requested to help on. Sean checks on his bottom every four hours or so and changes him when needed. The other agents also are working on paperwork unless sent on a case. When they go on a case, either Derek or David check on Spencer and change him when needed.

During the weekends, Sean takes the boys to the park in the late morning and many times has even bought lunch while they were out. Spencer plays on the playground and tires himself out and has the days get warmer, Sean lets Aaron out of the stroller and allows him to play on the gym set and slide down the slide. The physical therapy has been helping and Aaron is walking slowly with help. This is one of the reasons why Sean knows it is good for them to come to the park, so that his brother can get exercise and practice walking and strengthen his muscles on the playground. The boys play together quite often and have fun. The weekend schedule is playground or walk in the morning, lunch and then home for naps for our little boys. They play in the apartment in the afternoon and then Spencer and Sean play a game of chess while Aaron takes a late afternoon nap. Dinner comes next and then the boys play together or watch a movie until bed time.

Are our boys improving from and healing from their ordeals? Spencer is still struggling because the drug is still in his system. Aaron has been talking to the psychiatrist about the ordeal but has kept so much hidden, he knows that his master is still out there and he doesn't want him to hurt anyone he loves. Our beloved protector is still trying to protect those he loves from his master. Although his master has not talked to him recently, he still has a firm hold on Aaron's mental state and will do so until he is caught and Aaron believes that his family, friends and co-workers are safe. It is for this reason that Aaron is resistant to improving and becoming a full-functioning adult again. Although, he is allowing himself to take baby steps to please his brothers and his boss, he is still only doing the minimal necessary. He thinks that he knows what he is doing and yet it seems daily that the real man in hiding further in his mind and building a castle wall around him.

Late in May

The team decides to spend Memorial Day Monday together having a picnic at the park that the boys regularly go to. They take a small barbeque to cook on and a very large king size blanket to sit on and chairs to lounge on as well as some balls and mitts to have fun with.

Sean brings the boys and sets up the blanket before the rest of the team arrive. He wants to have the boys set up and the area prepared. He brings a small pup tent which he will use as a changing area for our babies and wants to make sure that the schedule will not be too disrupted. JJ and her family arrive and she takes Henry to the playground while Will helps set up the barbeque. Aaron is currently napping and Spencer goes with JJ to play. The park begins to fill with people and our agents continue to arrive. Derek and David actually go and throw the ball around. Sean joins them with Penelope and Will and they begin a small game against each other. Sean does his best to continue to keep an eye on his brother but gets into having fun. When Aaron wakes up, he finds himself alone and on the blanket; he looks around and tries to find someone he knows. He doesn't like being alone, every time he is alone his master comes and frightens him. He is about to cry out for Sean when he sees Spencer at the playground and decides to go to join him there. He begins to crawl over to the playground. Many of the other people in the park just watch because they have been seeing him there for a few months and know about the adult baby and they do try to keep a close eye on him as much as the other children. He is found to be gentle and sweet.

Sean looks over and sees an empty blanket and leaves the game by running over to find where Aaron has gotten himself off too. He looks around and then sees his brother crawling over to the playground. A sigh of relief escapes him. He grabs a small bag of various things and goes to his brother's side.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Aaron stops and looks up at his brother, "I want to go play."

"You should have waited for someone to come and get you."

"I didn't see anybody around until I saw Spencer at the playground. Since you don't let him play alone I thought you would be there."

Sean smiles at this and knows that he is speaking the truth about his not letting him go play alone. Sean bends and picks his brother up; Aaron squirms a bit and gets a smack on his bottom when Sean takes him back to the blanket. He screams, "No, I want to go play."

Sean responds, "You will get to go play after we change your diaper. Won't you rather be more comfortable?"

Aaron hangs his head and nods yes. Sean takes him into the tent and proceeds to clean his brother. The boys then go to the playground where JJ is watching the other babies, Spencer and Henry play. Aaron goes to join Henry in the sandbox after Sean puts a pair of safety goggles on his brother, who looks at his strangely. Sean tells him, "You leave those alone." Aaron sticks his tongue at Sean and goes to build a sand castle with Henry. Spencer was swinging when Sean arrived and got off and ran over to him.

"Sean, my bottom hurts." He says this as a matter of fact and without hesitation or embarrassment and expects Sean to do something about it. Sean smiles and looks at JJ.

"Would you mind watching Aaron while I take care of Spencer?"

"You go on, Aaron and Henry will play fine together." Sean and Spencer head to the little tent where Sean changes his diaper and puts a good deal of rash lotion on to help heal. It seems that Spencer is suffering a little from rash again. He thinks maybe a few days at home running around without a covering on his rash might clear it up. Sean tries to change the boy often but sometimes the boy is resistant. After changing the boy, Sean gives him some liquid pain medication to help get rid of the pain. They go back to the playground and Spencer goes back to the swings.

The others who were playing with the ball and mitts came over to the playground and either watched by the side or got on the equipment to play with the children. There were lots of squeals and laughs as both young and old children play. After a short time, David and Will go over to start cooking the burgers, hot dogs, fresh vegetables and shrimp that Sean brought for lunch. Sean had it all marinated or prepared and ready for the barbeque. He is our chef. Sean goes over to Aaron and picks him up to take him back to the blanket. He protests weakly but Sean just tells him to calm down because it is time for a bottle for our boy. JJ picks up Henry to give him some food as well. While our adults have to wait a little while for lunch to be ready, our babies are being fed. Spencer comes over soon after and asks for something too. Sean got him out a small snack to tide him until something comes off the grill.

The others either go back to playing with the ball and gloves or sit around and chat as adults are wont to do. Aaron falls asleep after his bottle and Spencer also lies down for a nap with Henry right beside him. It is during this time that Emily arrives with Brian, who had come in from home. It seems our agent is quite smitten with the small town attorney. She spends as much time as she can with him and he treats her as if she was the only woman in the world.

Emily says, "We come for the grub, is there any left?"

JJ responds, "Plenty, only the babies have eaten."

Brian looks askew at JJ for that remark but doesn't say anything. He tells Emily, "I'm going to go see if I can get in the game."

"You go ahead, I'll watch you run and catch. Don't forget to get all sweaty so we can wash later." He smiles suggestively at her.

The players are back soon to attack the food when Sean calls out and says grubs ready. Spencer wakes up and has some food himself. The noise and commotion also wake Henry who sits with JJ and chews some of her food. Aaron wakes shortly after but he doesn't eat any of the food, even though Sean did ask and attempted to offer. Brian looks at this exchange and doesn't really understand what his friend is doing. When Sean offered Aaron the bottle and he took it, Brian was less surprised than you might think. We have to remember that Brian has known Aaron when his mother did the same thing to him. Emily has given him a little background of what it has been for Aaron since the kidnapping. Brian is no psychiatrist but he remembers Aaron last fall when Kathy died and he had to go through the will and estate with the man. He seemed to be a strong adult male but underneath was a man suffering. He didn't know how to help and when the kidnapping occurred it seems that it gave him an excuse now to hide from the world and let others take over his life.

Aaron had not yet seen Brian there because if he had he wouldn't have taken the bottle. He didn't want to show himself as a baby in front of his old friend but that wasn't going to happen today. Today, he will show himself and realize something very important. Brian goes and walks over to where Sean is feeding Aaron and he places his hand on Sean's shoulder and non-verbally asks if he could take over feeding the man. Sean was a little hesitant since he knows that this is Aaron's longest known friend and he wasn't sure if Aaron would like it. He whispers to Aaron that he needed to get to do something so someone else would have to feed him and asked if that would be okay. Aaron kept his eyes closed but nodded his head and sat up so that Sean could get up and someone else could sit down.

The men switch places and Brian placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder and he leaned back into Brian's arms. Brian began to rock and hums something that Kathy used to sing to the children when she would sit in the rocking chair at the tree house. The song penetrates Aaron's memories and he feels truly safe for the first time in months not that he doesn't feel safe with Sean, but he isn't Kathy. Aaron remembers Kathy singing that tune and snuggles deeper into Brian's arms. When the bottle was empty, Aaron finally opened his eyes and sees Brian looking down on him. He now knows who was humming the song and felt ashamed that his friend was the one feeding him. He sits up and tries to crawl away.

"Oh no, not this time Aaron. It is okay. I am the one person who understands better than anyone. I even know things that Kathy didn't know. I know about Uncle Bob." Aaron stops and stares at Brian and sits in front of him.

_Flashback_

_It is the playground at school and behind the dumpsters there was a small boy crying, another boy comes up and sits down by him. "What has happened Aaron?" _

"_Nothing Brian, go away."_

"_You don't cry for nothing, did you tell Kathy?_

"_Please don't tell Kathy that I am crying, she will ask why and I don't want her to know."_

"_Then tell me, it will be our secret."_

"_I don't want to go home Brian. He's going to be there and I don't like him."_

"_Who is he? Your dad? But you like your dad."_

"_No, not dad. Uncle Bob."_

"_Who is Uncle Bob?"_

"_Mommy's friend."_

"_Why don't you like him?"_

"_I can't tell you because he'll hurt you too."_

"_Too? Does he hurt you Aaron?"_

_Aaron just cries harder. Brian hugs the little boy in his arms. "Aaron, he can only hurt you if you let him. Talk to me or Kathy and we can help stop him."_

"_No, you cannot stop him, nobody can. He will always hurt me because mommy likes him. But I don't want him to hurt you or Kathy or anybody else. If I don't tell, he can't hurt you."_

"_Aaron, that's not true. Sometimes we have to find them and stop them._

"_Nobody can stop him." Brian tries a different tactic._

"_When does he hurt you?"_

"_Whenever dad is away, he comes over to stay the night and would take me to the basement and make me stay down there all night. Sometimes he comes back down later and hurts me. He says that if I tell, he will hurt Kathy. I won't let him hurt her so I won't tell anybody._

"_But."_

"_No Brian, I will let him hurt me so that he doesn't hurt the people I love._

_End Flashback_

"You told me never to talk about Uncle Bob and I never did. But I told Kathy and the other kids that we needed a place to go to escape people who can hurt us. It took over six months but we built the tree house for you and all the kids who needed a place to escape. Don't shut me out Aaron please. Talk to me, who are you trying to protect. The people in your life are adults, not children. They can protect themselves, you don't need to hide away to protect them. He can't be stopped if you don't tell. I don't know how to do this the way Kathy did. To bring you back from the edge, she could always know what to say. Your friends, family, we are at a loss about how to help you. If you didn't want me to see you as a baby then you need to come back from where you are hiding."

"If I hide then he won't hurt Jack or Sean or my team."

"What about what happened to David and Spencer?"

"She did that, not him. He is still out there watching me and he will hurt those I love if I come back. I am not going to let that happen. I will let him destroy me as long as they are safe. Don't try to stop that Brian. You can't. You couldn't then and you can't now. Love Emily, she needs you to protect her." Aaron crawls away and goes into the tent.

David asks, "Uncle Bob?"

Brian responds, "I can't tell you, it is his childhood nightmare. I will only say that you know all about pedophiles, don't you? When I found about it, we were eleven-years-old and he hid it from everybody because the man threatened them. Aaron will suffer so that those he loves don't even then he did his best to protect those he loved. It was when he couldn't that he realized that sometimes even the hero fails. Of course, not to Kathy, our hero never failed in her eyes."

"Is that you think that is what he is doing right now?"

"Oh yeah, he's knows exactly what he is doing most of the time, he will allow this person to take away his life, future, confidence and control in order to protect all of you and Jack."

"I wish we could find the man but we can't seem to get any leads."

"He seems to think that he is watching him. Maybe you should set a trap and see if he takes the bait."

Sean says, "Not a chance, I am not leaving my brother alone so that man can get close enough for the team to trap or catch him. Not a chance."

"Even it means condemning to this shell of a man for the rest of his life."

"Yes. We are not using him to trap anybody." Sean goes into the tent to check on his brother.

Brian gets up and asks Emily, "I think I have worn out my welcome, did you want to leave with me or stay here?"

She answers, "I don't think that you have worn out your welcome, but let's go dancing." They smile and kiss and say good bye to all and leave the group.

JJ and Will also get up to leave, Henry is getting fussy and JJ thinks he has been out in the sun long enough.

David and Derek started putting all the barbeque stuff away and cleaned up. Penelope started to clean up around the blanket and Spencer helped her out by packing up some of the brother's stuff to get it ready to go home. It had been a long day at the park and it was time to get out of the sun.

Inside the tent, the brothers sat looking at each other. Aaron had been crying but he won't let his brother comfort him. Finally Sean says, "Let's change your diaper and get ready to go home." Aaron gets into position and when the boys come out of the tent, they find that most everything has been packed up. Sean tells Spencer to come into the tent to be changed. Aaron crawls out where Derek picks him up to put into his stroller. Sean and Spencer are quick and they pack up the tent and diaper bag. Our group head over to the Hotchner apartment, where David, Derek and Penelope leave the men.

Inside Sean prepares his two little boys for a bath to get all the sand and dirt from the playground off.

After baths, come bottles and snacks and an early bedtime.


	29. The Check Up

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine.**

In New York, Angie is not doing too much as she does her best to handle her foggy eyesight. It is worse in the morning and clears up by late night. The results from her hospital stay are that she has the beginning stages of Fuchs' dystrophy which is a degenerative disorder of the cornea, she is at stage two of the disease, which means that she has foggy vision and mild blisters. When it affects her from being able to do normal things, she will have to get a transplant. But according to others that she learned has the disease themselves, she knows that she can deal with it. She just has to change a little of what she does. She can still read, but with magnifiers for the small print. If things are always put away to where they are supposed to be she can use them. She has enough in savings and although is not as wealthy as Kathy was, she did invest in the same things as Kathy. So she has enough to be able to live without working. She has decided to continue taking classes and finish her masters in medieval literature at the Georgetown University where she had been attending. She has been packing up her books since she is going to move to the D. C. area to finish this degree and she never goes anywhere without her books, all of them.

Dr. Pitt at the Bethesda Medical Center, where they had first taken Aaron after the kidnapping wants to do to a check up on the man and has contacted Sean about bringing him in. Sean mentions about Spencer and his problem with the drug that he was given. The information about the drug was sent to the doctor from the agency doctors and from Angie who created it. The agency is trying to find a cure or antidote to it and yet have not been able to do so. Maybe Dr. Pitt and his research group can find something that they have missed. Dr. Pitt has asked Angie to come down and consult with him about the drug. She has agreed and will be there on the same day that Sean brings the boys in for their checkups with Dr. Pitt.

On the morning of the exams, Sean has not told the boys they were having exams today, but he dressed them in easy clothes to get on and off. But instead of getting the bus to go to the agency to work he took them to the new vehicle he had ordered in February when he first knew that he was going to have to care for Aaron on a possible long term basis. He wanted a special car with a special seat for Aaron. The vehicle finally arrived and so he will be able to take the boys to their checkups in style. Aaron has not yet seen his brother's new vehicle.

They go into the garage and Sean takes them to the disabled spot where a red van is waiting. He purchased a seven passenger van with four captain chairs and one folding sofa style seat in the back. The second row seats both have special seat belt configurations that represent that of a child's car seat, with harness style seat belt over the body. The second row seats can be reclined to a 60 degree angle. All the power and control for them is in the console of the front seat. The back row sofa is split into the 60/40 configuration so that either or both sides can be folded down for more cargo space. There is enough space behind the sofa when it is upright for the stroller to be placed in.

Sean has Spencer get into the van and seated in the chair behind the driver and harnessed into the seat. He then puts Aaron into the chair behind the front seat passenger seat. Aaron is harnessed in. After storing the stroller and the go bags with extra clothes and diapers, he takes the bag with food and bottles to the driver's seat and gets in. He put the food bag in the passenger side seat. He checks the mirrors that he had specially placed to check on his boys and started the vehicle to head to Bethesda.

The boys are wondering where they are headed since Sean has been closed mouthed about it. He gets to the medical center and parks in the handicapped section of which he has a placard to be allowed to do so. He gets the stroller out and then Aaron is removed and placed in the stroller and then he unharnessed Spencer. The three men head into the center towards Dr. Pitts offices and the clinic where they would have their check-ups.

When they get to reception in the clinic, Sean lets them know who they are and why they are there. They begin to take the vitals of our first boy, Aaron. He is taken into the examination room and weighed, measured in height, had his blood pressure taken, had the first vials of blood taken and then was put on the table to take his temperature. He refused to keep the thermometer in his mouth and kept moving it around. They then tried to do it under his arm but he wiggled around and they couldn't get an accurate temperature. Finally they decided to do it the old-fashioned, most accurate way, they laid him on his belly and removed his diaper and took his temperature through his rectum, gently and well lubricated. He still cried from this, Sean was at his head trying to comfort by having him suck his fingers and he gently sang to the man. After all the vitals were taken and the blood taken to be tested, Aaron was redressed and placed on the floor to play with some toys.

It was Spencer's turn next but as he had watched what they did to Aaron, he behaved and they got his temperature through the mouth. But he didn't like the blood pressure cuff and cried when it squeezed really hard. The biggest shock to all was when the nurse wanted to take the vitals of Sean as well. It seems the Doctor wants to make sure the caretaker is doing well and that there are no mini-breaks or anything that might hinder him from caring for his brother. He has been ordered to have x-rays taken but cannot take the boys with him to radiology. They are kept in the examination room with some toys and a young nurse's aide stays with them.

The Doctor has examined both boys and Aaron seems to have healed from his ordeal quite fine, there are a few minor scars but nothing that is highly visible or would create a problem for the man to do things. Spencer body is fine but the blood work will show whatever the drugs have done to his inner cell workings. Sean gets back from radiology and takes his boys into Dr. Pitt's office where the Doctor discusses the results of the exam with him.

In the office there are two chairs and a sofa where they can talk. Sean sits on the sofa and Aaron gets next to him and lies down in him arms ready for a bottle which Sean gets out and proceeds to give him. Spencer whines that he is hungry too. Spencer sits on the floor next to Sean who gets crackers and a sippy cup of kool-aid for him. The doctor looks incredulously at this sight and then begins to talk to Sean about the preliminary results of the blood work. Aaron is fine as his main problems seem to be emotional and mental rather than biological. He is weak in certain areas and yet that is to be expected of the way that he acts and moves. Sean is told that his skeletal and muscle system is doing good but admonished to not overdo and to work more on getting his brother off his shoulders. Aaron opens his eyes and looks at the doctor with a scowl. Spencer's blood work is weird according to the doctor. Spencer begins to tug at Sean's pants leg when the doctor began to talk about him. Sean looked down and told him, "Stop that Spencer. The grown-ups are talking."

Spencer leaned back about ready to cry when he did it again. Sean says, "Excuse me doctor. What is it Spencer?"

With his eyes tearing up, Spencer says, "I want to be changed, my bottom is all wet."

"Can you wait a few minutes?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." The doctor watches this interaction looking very interested.

The doctor says, "Sean, why don't you change the boys now while I check on the results of one more test. It should be about ready now. Go and use the exam room to change them."

"Are you sure about that doctor?"

"Yes, go on." Sean put Aaron into his stroller and took Spencer's hand to head back to the exam room. Upon arriving, he puts Spencer on the table and proceeded to change his diaper. After which he did the same for Aaron. When the boys were in dry pants, the group went back to the Doctor's office who had not yet arrived back. Sean puts Aaron down on the floor and brings out toys for the boys to play with.

When the doctor comes back, he looks very concerned and unhappy about the results of the test. He begins to talk to Sean about how the drug was taking over Spencer's body. The cells are being inundated and completely taken over. It seems the drug is penetrating the cells and reproducing itself into that cell. When it began to finally the brain cells is when the emotional/mental changes began for the man.

Before the Doctor goes further there is a knock on the door. It is Angie.

"May I join you gentlemen?" Aaron, who had been lying in his brother's arms being rocked, opened his eyes and sat up, scooted by Sean and patted the other side of him on the sofa. She sat down and he placed his hand on her knee and she placed her hand on his. The Doctor began to talk again but soon is interrupted again by Spencer.

"I want to sit up with you people, (he's on the floor). I'm older than Aaron, why can't I sit up there and he sits on the floor." Aaron looks at him with a scowl on his face.

Angie asks, "Why don't you come and sit on my lap." He squeals with delight and Aaron scowls deeper as he climbs up and she begins to cuddle him. The doctor continues to talk about Spencer's problem and how it can affect him. There will be times of complete adult control and other times of distraction and low thresholds for pain and time. By this time Spencer has already lost interest in what the doctor was saying and was examining Angie's face, neck and pearls. He began to talk about pearls and how they are created and the difference between fresh water and salt water pearls. He talks about man-made and cultural pearls versus natural or wild pearls. The doctor continues to say that his intellect is not affected nor is his ability to learn. There will days when he will no childish actions and other days when he will be all toddler. You won't know when that might be. Over time, you might be able to get tell signals, for instance, it will probably happen when is overtired or excited or hungry.

Both Spencer and Aaron are ignoring what the doctor was saying. Spencer was entranced with Angie's pearls and Aaron just kept his eyes on where Spencer's hands were going. Aaron began to get angry when his hands seem to be going lower and lower and then when the back of his hand accidently brushed the top of her breast. Aaron saw red and he pushed Spencer off her lap and screamed, "MINE!" The three adults were shocked to see what this man child did to the other man child. Angie broke first and bent to check on Spencer who was loudly crying. She tells Sean to check him out and comfort the boy. Spencer reached out to him. Aaron sat defiantly and pleased that Spencer was off Angie's lap.

Angie is very angry with Aaron and stands to step in front of him "Stand up," she says to Aaron. She puts her hands out for him to grab. He ignores them and stands by himself. The other men are amazed to see this, "Walk with me." She takes him by the hand and they leave the doctor's office and walk to an empty examination room. She indicates that he should sit on the table, which he does.

She says, "What was that about?"

"He was touching something that is mine."

"Excuse me, there is nothing on my body that is yours." He just looks at her. "Are you saying that you think my breasts are yours?" He nodded. "What would you do with them, they have no milk in them so you can't feed on them and you're not mature enough to do anything else?"

He looks into her eyes with the most smoldering look of a very real man and says, "You'd be surprised what I could do?" He reaches out to her and kisses her squarely on the mouth with the hunger of a man long denied what he wants. She breaks from him barely able to breathe with all the passion that he gave to her.

"No, this is not going to happen. I told you that I want a man who can walk, talk and feed himself. When you can take me out to good surf and turf meal, then you might get something more from me. I might actually consider you an adult male instead of an adult baby. When are ready to up the mantle of responsibility again. Responsibility to your job, your son, the people you depend on your intelligence and abilities, to yourself, then you can come to me and show me how much of a man you are. But as long as you are hiding, you keep your hands to yourself unless they are touching with the innocence of a baby, which is what Spencer was doing." He hangs his head. She lifts him by the chin. You will go and apologize to him and then you will kneel with your face pressed to the wall until I say you can get out. I would spank you for your poor actions but I don't believe in spanking babies. They don't understand why the person who is supposed to love them is beating on them and causing them pain. Right now I don't think you would either." She moves to remove him from the exam table and take him back to the doctor's office.

Back at the office, Sean is trying to calm down Spencer who seems to be doing a little regressing and crying because he doesn't understand why Aaron did that to him. The doctor says, "You know why Aaron did it?"

Sean answers, "No, I have no idea."

"Jealousy and envy."

"What?"

"While I was talking, I was the watching the boys. Spencer was sitting being sweet and very innocent, yet Aaron was looking more and more like a jealous man turning into a thundercloud of anger. I think that he thought Spencer was touching what he wanted for himself and not as a baby." Sean looked at him with absolute clarity of what the doctor was saying.

"Great, now we raging adult hormones in an 11-month-old baby. That is just what I needed to have."

"You know that he is not really a baby, he is in control of himself. What he does he chooses to do."

"Yeah, but how do we help him to understand that he doesn't need to. He doesn't have to destroy himself in order to protect the people he loves. We love him and will have him whatever he does, but how can we protect the protector?"

Spencer pipes up with an "I'm hungry, can I have one of Aaron's bottles?"

Sean looks at him in astonishment, "Why would you want a bottle?"

"Aaron seems to like them and I don't want to get out of your arms right now, it would be easier to feed me with a bottle. Please?"

Sean reaches into the food bag and pulls out a bottle of protein drink and Spencer gets into position to lie down in his arms and takes the bottle when Sean put it into his mouth. Spencer begins to suckle and Sean would rock him in comfort.

This is the scene that Aaron and Angie came into. Aaron was once again jealous of the young man in his brother's arms. Angie turns to him and says, "Wall." He looks at her about to refuse but noticed the steely look in her eyes and her questioning eyes that say defy me, I dare you. He decides it is more prudent for him to go kneel by the wall.

After a while, Spencer has finished his bottle and was now sleeping in Sean's arms and Aaron was starting to whine about being hungry and having to kneel near the wall. Angie looks at Sean questioning on what he wanted to do about the problem child.

Sean asks, "Angie will you hold Spencer while I take care of Aaron." She goes and takes his place holding Spencer while he sleeps. Sean goes over to his brother and lifts him up, but will not allow him to walk. He instead carries him to the long table of displays in the corner. He moves most of the displays to the back and lays Aaron down, where he proceeds to change his diaper.

After the diaper change, Sean harnesses Aaron into his stroller and then holds a bottle for him. Aaron is not happy to be fed this way but decides to go along with it this time.

The doctor had by this time decided to go on his rounds and Sean decides that it is time to take his boys home. But is uncertain how to do it with Spencer sleeping, usually he is able to walk around by himself, Angie offers the resolution of him carrying Spencer and she would take the bags and push the stroller. He takes her up on the offer and comes to take the boy from her arms and takes him to the table to change him before they left. He didn't wake up while this was happening.

He carries Spencer out to the van while Angie follows with the bags. She is quite impressed by the vehicle and waits with Aaron while he harness buckles Spencer into his car seat. He then does the same for Aaron and puts the stroller and bags away. He offers a ride to their place with her luggage. She can get another place tomorrow. She takes him up on the offer smiling at the man and he smiles back at her.


	30. Dreams and Spanks

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty.**

"Mommy, Daddy?"

In the adult's bedroom she turns to him and asks, "Do you want to get him or should I?"

"Why don't I start breakfast while you get the boys up?"

"Sounds like a plan." She gets up and goes to the nursery and checked the crib with the baby who was still sleeping, she then went to the crib with the toddler on his knees peering out of the rails at her. She peers back and pats his nose which he wrinkles up. After lowering the rails she takes her young one and changes his diaper while redressing him in his nightclothes. She sends him to the dining room where daddy will put him in his high chair for breakfast. She turns and sees him rush out of the room. Going back to the other crib, she looks down and brushes her baby's cheek when he opens his eye to her and smiles. She lowers the sides and lifts her baby out to take him to the bathroom for his bath. After which she dresses him in a crawler and takes him to the dining room where she goes to the double rocker and sits down with him in her arms. Opening her top, she opens her breast for her baby to suckle. He grasps her nipple greedily while she rocks and looks up to see her husband had put the older boy in his high chair and he had pancakes cut up and was working on getting them into his mouth without too much mess. Her husband brought over a plate of cut up crepes for her so that she could eat with one hand. The other was wrapped around the baby. The baby looked at the wedding band on her left hand was immediately unhappy. He looked up at the man now known as daddy; he used to call him brother.

"What is your plans today darling?" She asks her husband.

"I am teaching my first culinary class at the cordon bleu school, sauces and creams. I am a little nervous, first time teaching."

"You will do excellent."

"What will you do today?"

"The boys and I will do our usual. We'll play in the morning at the playground and then lunch and naps in the afternoon before play at home."

"I checked the living room; there isn't anything to deter you until your eyes clear for the day. Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you? I would love to play in the playground with the boys."

"I'm sure you would and you would get just as dirty."

"Of course, that's the fun thing about playing with the boys."

"You need to give Spencer his bath before you leave for work and dress him."

"We have a few hours, how about we put them both back in their cribs and go back to bed."

"With two screamers wanting to get out of their cribs, you want to go back to bed. No, I don't think so. Bring me a bottle of juice." She begins to close her blouse since the baby has finished with the breast; she then puts a bottle of juice in his mouth to give him more nutrition that an adult male needs. Although he is fuzzy looking to her; she still thinks that he is a sweetheart as is her little man-boy that is now being taken to the bath by her husband.

The man and woman had decided to marry in order to form a family for the man-boy going to be bathed. He needed someone to adopt him and she was old enough while daddy was his caretaker. She married the man and then adopted the boy so that he became a Hotchner like the other boy. The baby could not be officially adopted as such but as he is under the guardianship of the man he is already a part of the family. She used hormones and manipulation to finally be able give what the baby most wanted, her breast. When the baby finished his bottle, she took him to the living room to play while she cleaned the dining room and kitchen. After a while, Spencer joins the baby in the living room and Sean goes to his wife and begins to nibble her neck and then put some music on and began to waltz her around the apartment. When they got to the living room, the boys looked up and saw the adults in a loving embrace. One of the boys looks pleased and excited to see it, while the younger looked more jealous and envious when he realizes that he will never get to do that again.

He cries out in what seems like pain.

She is woken up by what sounds like crying in the next room. She gets up to check it out and finds Sean is already there. He is at his brother's crib side and lowering the rail to lift the crying man out. He takes him to the rocker in the living room and begins to soothe the man. She decides that maybe a bottle might help and gets a bottle of plain water to bring the crying man to drink. Sean welcomes the bottle and tries to coax it between the man's lips while he is making soothing sounds to him. The man finally wakens enough to realize what is happening around him and grasps the bottle to suckle. Sean looks up at Angie and tells her to go to back and lay down some more, he knows that she is not seeing all that well and is only going by instinct of knowing where things are. Are you sure she asks and Sean responds that he is sure.

She goes back to the sofa and lies down again. While she is lying there, she listens to Sean soothe and comfort his brother from his bad dream. Slowly the rocking and the soothing sounds put the man back to sleep and Sean gets up and takes him back to his crib. He returns to the living room and sits down again.

She asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Tonight is unusual; he hasn't had a bad dream in weeks. He used to wake up every night because he would be back in the dungeon but tonight was different. He wasn't in the dungeon tonight and I don't know why he had the bad dream or what it was about."

"What happened yesterday that you think might have triggered a bad dream?"

"We had the check-ups and although he wasn't the best patient I don't think that could have triggered this."

"Do you think it might be me?"

"How could it be you? He loves you."

"Exactly and he is afraid that he can't have me? Maybe that something could prevent that in his mind."

"But what could prevent that?"

"People think of strange things about what they hear and see and in your dreams you combine things that you would never think of combining while awake."

"What could he be combining that would worry or frighten him?"

"I don't know, only he can answer that. I am going to be leaving early in the morning. It was good to see you and the men." She lies down to go back to sleep and he heads back into his bedroom.

When Aaron wakes and cries out again for Sean, Angie has already left the Hotchner apartment. Sean gets the men ready for a day at work.

Instead of the bus, however they take the new van, it is quite a vehicle and will good for short trips and long trips. When they get to the office, JJ already has a case waiting for them to discuss. They have been asked to come to help find a killer of six young men found with their throats cut and genitals removed as a souvenir. The plane will go up in 20 minutes; Aaron will not be going but Spencer will, so Sean gets his go bag out of the van and gives it to Dave.

"Dave, could you keep an eye on Spencer? We had a check-up yesterday about the drug; it has penetrated every cell according to the doctor, including brain cells."

"Are you sure he is capable of working?"

"The doctor said that there will be days of complete adult clarity and ability and days when he will be more of a two and half year old toddler. He is still in diapers and probably will always be. He can feed himself fine and is able to use a fork and spoon, try to keep a knife away. Change him often because otherwise he will get a rash and we are trying to avoid that. The doctor said that there may be tell signs of when he may become more toddler than adult. He gave examples such as overtired, hungry, wet, overexcited or scared. Try to avoid these situations or control them for him."

"You want me to basically take care of him and keep an eye out. He is already treated like a little brother by Morgan and the girls. This might just solidify this relationship."

"That's fine he can be the little brother. But you are dad and take care of what needs to be done."

"Does his go bag have everything he needs?"

"Everything that I can think of that he will need, there should be enough diapers to last two days and to let you know he uses cloth and plastic pants. Bring them back to be washed, I would send disposables except that he is allergic to a particular ingredient in them so no disposables for him. There are also plenty of extra clothes in there in case he leaks or has problems in that respect. Try to no overdo anything for him and make sure he sleeps enough hours or you will have an easily startled crying child on your hands."

"If I have a problem, I am going to call you and make you come out to the case."

"I won't be here."

"What?"

"This case comes at a good time because you can take care of Spencer while I can leave town. I just need to find someone to watch over Aaron. I was hoping Angie would but she left before I could ask."

"Where are you going?"

"I am actually doing something with friends of mine. Every year during this coming week we take a few days and do something reckless and extreme. We do some type of extreme sport, this year we are rock climbing, last year we did white water rafting, the year before was high dive jumping. I do this every year and we plan it a year in advance. I didn't expect this to happen to Aaron and make it so that I can't do stuff like this anymore. Angie said that I shouldn't stop my life to just take care of my brother. That I should plan some things for me and that is why I never cancelled my trip. I really want to go David but I can't leave Aaron alone. He is too dependent on others for his needs."

"Call Angie and let her know if you don't ask you don't get. Don't worry about Spencer, I will take care of him until you return, no matter how long that may be."

"Thanks Dave. I am going to leave in the morning and I will have someone with Aaron at that time. Dave, are all members of the team going?"

"No, Aaron and Garcia will be here. I don't know if Garcia would be a good choice Sean."

"Don't read my mind David." Both men chuckle as they separate.

Sean calls Angie and is able to get through. "Angie, I was hoping to get you before you left this morning."

"What is it Sean?"

"You told me to continue to keep things for myself that I should not stop my life to just take care of Aaron."

"Yes I remember telling you that. Are you saying that there is something that you want to do?"

"I had planned an few days of sports with my friends a year ago, we do it every year at this time and I really want to go but I can't leave Aaron alone."

"What about Spencer?"

"He has gone on a case and will be taken care of by David. If they hadn't had the case, I would have asked him to take care of Aaron, but Aaron couldn't go on the case so Spencer is taken care of but Aaron is not.

"Do you want me to take care of Aaron so you can go on your trip?"

Would you please Angie?" She thinks about this request, does she really want to spend a few days alone with Aaron? Could she really do it without compromising her integrity and his dignity? Could she not do what she would love to do?

"Yes Sean I will be there in the morning before you leave."

"I'll see you then, bye Angie."

Sean takes Aaron home that night and packs a bag to take rock climbing. He fixes up several days of bottles and makes sure that the diaper supply is sufficient for several days. He gives Aaron a bath and the brothers spend the night cuddling and watching movies.

At the town the case was in, the team gets off the jet and begins to check out the crime scene and looking for the facts of the case. After a while, Spencer starts to get antsy and can't seem to sit or stand still; Dave notices this and knows that it is time to change his boy's diaper. He takes the man's arm and gently prods him to an empty room that doesn't appear to have a camera or anything that may see what a person is doing in the room. It appears to be a supply room with shelves and tables. He puts a long folded table up and removes Spencer's pants.

Spencer says, "NO, I am okay. I don't need to be changed."

"Spencer, you have been fidgeting for the past thirty minutes, you make me want to go to the bathroom. Sean told me to make sure that you are kept dry. If you keep this up, you are going back to the hotel for a nap young man. Now get on the table." Spencer gets on the table with a pouty look and David proceeds to change the very wet diaper of the man. He realizes that he was going to have to check on the man every few hours because he won't come to him to have his diaper changed. "Let's get back to work for a few hours and then you will have dinner and an early bedtime."

"No I am not; I am staying out as long as everyone else is."

David cups his chin, "You will do as you are told or you will not be on this case." Spencer looks at him with a dogged look and nods his assent to the remark.

Later that night at the motel, David is coming from the shower and Spencer is sitting on the other bed reading a book from Angie's library. It seems that there is always one of those in his book bag.

"Spencer, let's change your pants and get into your night clothes."

"I want to finish this book tonight."

"If you finish it tonight then you won't have anything for tomorrow. Come on let's change you."

"I don't want to."

"Spencer." He looks up and sees the firm look in Dave's face, it reminds him of Angie and you don't say no to that face.

But he does. "NO!" David walks over to the bed and removes the book from his hands and puts it over on his bed. He then turns to pick up Spencer, who has scooted off the bed and was running to the bathroom. Which David had anticipated and previously locked against the entry of the young man, who then tried the door, which was bolted. In the meantime, David had walked up behind him and picked him up to lift over his shoulders. He put him on the long dresser that he had set up as a changing table. Spencer continued to struggle and squirm while David removed his clothing until all he had on was a very wet diaper. When David began to remove that Spencer started to cry. After removing the diaper, David picked him up and took him over to the bed where he placed the man over his knee and proceeded to spank him.

SMACK. "You will not." SMACK. SMACK. "Do this again." SMACK. SMACK. "When I say that it is time." SMACK. SMACK. "For you to be changed." SMACK. "You will allow it to happen." SMACK. SMACK. "I decide when that happens." SMACK. "Not you." SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. By the time that David has finished his smacks on Spencer's bottom, the man-boy is crying only and loudly. David turns him over and gently makes sure that his bottom is not touching anything he rubs his back and rocks the boy in his arms. He picks up the boy and proceeds to smooth lotion over his sore bottom and gets double diapered for the night and dressed into a purple sleeper that Sean sent. He then carries the boy over to his bed and lies him down while he opens up the boy's own bed. When he looks around, Spencer is already asleep on the bed sucking his thumb and mildly hiccupping from crying so much. David decides to let him stay and go into the other side of Spencer and held the boy in his arms while he watched a little TV.


	31. A Horny Old Time

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-One.**

Knock, Knock

"Hello Angie, come in, Aaron is still in his crib. I wanted him to sleep until you got here. I don't have to leave for another hour or so. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Are you cooking?"

"Yeah."

"I would love some crepes then."

"I think that I have the ingredients for them." She enters the apartment while he heads to the kitchen. She goes to check on Aaron in the nursery and finds him still sleeping the sleep of a baby. He looks so sweet and gentle without a care in the world. She walks back out to the dining room and sees Sean already has breakfast ready for her.

"That was fast."

"My brother is not the only who knows your likes and dislikes." She laughs at that. They sit companionably at the table talking when Aaron is heard waking up. Sean goes to take care of the man. He gives him a bath and spreads baby powder all over him and then diapers and dresses him in a cute shorts set with matching socks. He takes him out to the rocker where Angie is already waiting with a bottle and Sean places him into her arms. Aaron looks at her and smiles like a wolf ready to pounce on grandma and she smiles at him like the witch about to eat Hansel. Sean looks at the two with a little trepidation. What did he get these two people into? Oh well, let them figure it out. He kisses his brother on the forehead and says goodbye that he will see him in a few days. Sean picks up his bag and leaves.

Aaron tries to get up and then looks at Angie in consternation about what just happened. She explains, "Sean is leaving for a few days. He has a previous appointment with friends of his. I am babysitting for the few days that he will be gone. I hope that meets with your approval." He smiles at her smile. He smiles greater when her other hand went up his shorts hem and started rubbing something that seemed to be getting hard. Sean knew just what to put his horny big baby brother in with his equally horny babysitter.

While our horny man and woman was getting acquainted with each other. The team is in the town waking up to get back to profiling their unsub. In David and Spencer's room, Spencer wakes up in David's arms with his thumb still in his mouth. He looks about with consternation about the way he acted the previous night.

David says, "Good morning little one."

Spencer reddens and mumbles, "Good morning David. I am sorry about the way I acted last night. It was not called for."

"It is okay. I was warned that you might act that way if you get too tired or hungry."

"I shouldn't act that way at all. I really should just quit if I can't do this job without breaking down.

"You didn't ask for this to happen to you."

"That's right I didn't but it is happening to me and I don't how to stop it."

"Don't try just deal with it so that you can do your job and have fun too being that little boy."

"I don't want to be a little boy. I hated being a little boy before and I don't want to be one now."

"You have never really been a little boy. With your intelligence you have always been treated like you were older than you really are. You spent your life around adults and kids older than you who felt it was good to pick on you. That is why you relate so much to the bullied child. When you are in your young persona, you are experiencing something that you don't understand; just embrace it Spencer. Why don't we get you out of the sleeper and wet diaper and you take a shower." The men go to the changing table and after Spencer's shower; David then diapers him and puts an adult outfit on him. He had dressed himself when Spencer was in the shower.

They meet the others for breakfast and coffee, Spencer was not allowed coffee just milk and/or juice for breakfast. That is what Sean gives him and then he has coffee at the office. On the case they are trying to maintain that morning routine, it works well in keeping him from not going into toddler mode. He must eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and then have two snacks throughout the day. David is following Sean's instructions to the letter today for the care of Spencer and keeping him in adult mode.

Sean has fun with his friends although his hands do get scraped a bit, but nothing too bad. But the next several days the time goes quickly and too fast for some.

Aaron and Angie have fun but not as momma and baby boy. Like Kathy before her, Angie gets from this man the most wonderful of gifts and loves every time that she has with him. They do however keep somewhat to his schedule when she takes him in the stroller to the park in the late morning. She watches him play on the playground and improve his muscles; so that later they can use those muscles for something else after lunch when he takes his nap with momma.

When the case is over, Sean is still not home from his trip so David takes Spencer back to his place instead of burdening Angie with him. He has found that he enjoys being around the boy. His continuing talk about different things is growing on the man and he is enjoying the young man's company. When they get to his place, David changes his diaper and they begin to fix dinner. After a few hours, David changes Spencer's diaper again and puts his purple sleeper on and then puts him to bed with a good story. David sits on the bed and holds Spencer while reading to him a book from one of his favorite authors, a book that Spencer has not read. The men bond well over this time on being together. The next day, both men take off from work and do laundry to replace the items in their go bags with clean items. Spencer needed to have all his diapers laundered; he was wearing his last clean one. David hopes they have a clean one when he needs to change him. He thought about going to the store to get another dozen but held off since he didn't want to upset the boy, who hasn't had a toddler episode since that first night and he wants to keep it that way.

But sometimes life throws a curve ball at you. Donald Francis Johnson (our unsub) has continued to watch his baby puppy and he is not happy with what his puppy is doing right now. It is not what he should be doing. His sister was a stupid bitch who got herself killed because she wanted the brother. Didn't she know that Kathy's asshole love was a better catch? But he did think that what his sister did to the kid was pretty funny; making him a kind-of permanent toddler. That's what he going to do to Kathy's love, make him a permanent baby. But to get him away from the people who are constantly around him, he had to go to the original torturer of boys, his own father. His father was at the state old people's home in Winoka, Minnesota and so Donald went to visit him.

"Hey dad, how are you doing today?"

"What should you care? Why are you here?"

"I need some advice on how to break a man to become a weak dependent baby. I tried raping, whipping, and even turning him into a puppy but he seems to resist me still and won't stay the baby I make him become. What would you suggest I do to Aaron Hotchner?"

"Hotchner, I used to see a woman named Hotchner a long time ago. She had a bratty boy that she doted and babied. I taught him to obey his master. Took him down to the basement and left it dark and then I went back down later. HA HA HA, he was such a wimpy little brat. Used to call me Uncle Bob, as if I wanted to be that brat's uncle anything, but his momma insisted on the title. I made him afraid of Uncle Bob. His momma really kept him close to her breast, almost as if letting him get too far away something bad would happen to him. It is a shame she didn't realize that she was letting the wolf in her door." He looks at his son and says, "You let me out of here to go with you and we will destroy this Hotchner."

He looks at his father and decides to bring him along. He is after all a master of disguise and a master of torturing the innocent. Both men laugh hysterically at the thought of destroying Aaron Hotchner.

You didn't think the man or torture was gone did you? Aaron is not off the hook and has a lot of struggle ahead; will the adult stay or hide? Spencer is getting along well with 'daddy' Sean and with 'uncle' David but how will this fare for the future of our young profiling genius?

Stay Tuned, life is going to alter a little for our sweet heroes.


	32. The Man is Back

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Two.**

July Fourth has our little family at memorial park with hundreds of thousands of people listening to the orchestra and then watching the fireworks, the team decided to join them and they had a fun time bringing food and a small tent to change the boys in. The day was tiring for our group of people. JJ and Will had brought Henry in their car and left first. Emily had come with Brian in his rented car. While Sean had picked up Derek, Penelope and David, so they had to wait until he was heading home with the boys or take the bus home. They didn't mind waiting, the red van will be fully loaded with Sean driving, Angie in the passenger side, Spencer and Aaron in their seats and our other three agents taking up the back seat sofa with the stroller behind them. When they headed back to the van from the park, Angie pushed Aaron in his stroller and Derek carried a sleeping Spencer and the others carrying the tent, picnic basket, cooler and other paraphernalia that had been brought. It was quite a sight to see.

The next few weeks are routine with a few cases coming up in which are team goes out to solve. Spencer and David are getting closer as he continues to take care of the young man. David watches his little 'sister' Angie glow from just being around Aaron when they are together it is as if the sun has entered the building. Emily is glowing as well especially on Monday when she gets back from being with Brian. She hates it now when they have to go on a weekend case because then she can't see him. Aaron except for the way he acts around Angie has not changed much in other ways; he still tries to be the baby he thinks he should be.

As Donald and his father 'Uncle Bob' watch the Hotchner apartment and follow the boys wherever they go, they see the incongruence's in Aaron's behavior, especially when he is with Angie. So maybe the key to getting our little puppy to obey his master is in his friendship with her. Since the little puppy is never left alone maybe to let him know he still being watched, they need to take someone he loves. The woman going blind would be perfect to teach him who is the master.

She has gotten an apartment not far from the Hotchner apartment and is settling on continuing her masters at Georgetown in medieval literature and will be taking one class towards that degree. Because she has difficulty reading for a long time she decides one class is quite enough. One morning on the way to the campus to discuss what her master's thesis is with her new program advisor, she stops by and looks at the flowers in the floral shop near home. She misses having her bouquet sent to her office every week as she does love the scent of fresh flowers in the apartment. She decides to order an arrangement from the florist to be delivered each week. She decides on her regular four and includes two new ones; roses, tulips, tiger lilies, hyacinths, chrysanthemums (for Kathy) and baby's breath (for Aaron) to surround the others. She has a bush of baby's breath at home where she cultivates it daily and has for more than twenty years.

Just after she leaves the florist shop, a man she has never before seen walks beside her and pushes a gun into her side he tells her, "Keep walking naturally." They walk to a white cargo van with its door open and he nudges her to enter. She looks at him and does as he asks. She sits on the floor while he enters behind her and closes the door. A man in the driver's seat moves the vehicle. She says not a word, just listens and looks at him intently. She had every intention of memorizing every aspect of the man and not just his disguised face behind the fake mustache, eyebrows, makeup and sideburns and sunglasses. She notices his height, weight, waist size, chest size, and inseam of his trousers. She notices the lines and visible veins on his hands and neck and that he wore no gloves. She noticed that he wore incontinence shields which were a major indicator that he was older than he pretended. He saw that she was looking at him so intently and moved to her where he placed a blindfold around her eyes and plasticuffed her hands together. He didn't bother to gag since she hasn't said a word or made a sound. He plasticuffed her ankles together and they traveled in silence.

They take Angie to a place some distance from the metro area, about two hours outside the beltway. When they get there Donald lifts the woman and carries her into the building. As she cannot see, she uses other senses and hears rustling under straw, a fair breeze moving metal objects which bang into each other. She hears silent steps on dirt with an occasional crunch of stepping on hay or straw. She hears the song of birds, the shuffling of cloven and hoofed feet of bovine with a slight moo as they pass the stall. She has figured that this is a barn from what she hears as well at the scents that assail her nose, the dung, the fresh and stale smell of hay. The man places her on something scratchy like a bale of hay. He brought a blanket over to place on the hay and moved her to it. He took off the cuffs on her hands and ankles and then placed a chain on her left ankle. She could hear the chains rattling but the cuffs were fur lined plastic. He says gruffly, "There is a trough of water to your right that you can wash in, a bucket next to it for using as a toilet. I will bring you food once a day. There is a pillow and blanket. Screaming won't help you any, there is no one living around here within miles. You behave yourself and you will live, your brother will live, and your lover…well let's just say he will survive." He takes off her blindfold and leaves after he takes a digital photo.

She now knows that this is the man trying to destroy Aaron Hotchner and he knows what they did together. Aaron has been right in that this man was watching him. She is saddened because when she sees Aaron again, she believes he will regress back to infancy. She did not want to be the cause of his next regression. She tries to break from her chains but knows she is there until he releases her after he has gotten what he wants from Aaron, total submission and mastery of the man.

Back at the BAU

It is late morning and Sean is not in the office with Aaron as he has taken Spencer to be changed. Sean left the van keys on the desk not expecting Aaron to take them. He needs to remember that Aaron does unusual things sometimes. Aaron is working doing some write ups when he goes to check his emails. He opens one and what he sees chills him to the bone and angers him to the extreme. He is shown a photo of Angie chained in a barn. A not accompanying the photo told him to go home to Kathy's place. The man in him sees the keys at the edge of the desk; he knows he still has a valid driver's license, even if he is legally not allowed to drive. Can he get away without anyone seeing him but a little voice does say that he should wait for Sean and that he shouldn't go alone. He looks at the photo again, turns off the computer and stands up. He grabs the keys and looks out his door. He sees no one looking directly at him so calmly he walks down the stairs and to the elevator, he is able to get right in to the elevator. So far so good he thinks as gets to the garage and gets in the van. He drives out and heads to his hometown.

Meanwhile back at the office, Sean enters Aaron's office and sees the chair empty. Where is Hotch? He goes over to the desk and all the files are closed and the computer is off. His stroller is still there but where could he have gone. He must have gotten out of his chair and crawled somewhere since he refuses to walk in the office. Sean did not notice the missing keys. He walks to the door and looks around but does not see him anywhere. He is beginning to worry as he goes over to Dave's office to see if Aaron crawled over there. No such luck as he sees the office is empty. He goes down into the bullpen to look around, no Aaron. Sean starts to ask around and no one has seen him. Since he began to ask around the entire floor begins to look for the missing man. It takes many hours to search the building but Aaron seems to be gone. Garcia does a search to triangulate his cell phone but the phone is turned off. Someone suggests to Sean to check if the van is there. Sean looks at him in disbelief that Aaron would take the van since he knows that he is not allowed to drive. Sean checks his pockets for the keys and finds them not there. He remembers that he left them on the desk and goes to get them only to discover that they are not there. Garcia then checks the GPS locator and discovers that it is in the hometown.

Sean says, "What!?! Why is it there and how did it get there?"

"I guess we should assume that Aaron drove it there" says Morgan.

"If he did, he is going to learn how angry I can really get when he can't sit down for a month."

"Let's just go find out why he did this and bring him home. Wheels will go up in thirty minutes.", says Rossi.

While Sean and the team were searching for Aaron, he was driving toward his hometown. When he arrives, he goes to the house but doesn't have the keys so he drives to the law office of Brian. He knows that he has keys to the house. When he enters the office and Brian looks up, Brian is shocked to see Aaron there.

"Aaron, what are you doing here and walking? Where is Sean?"

"Sean is back in D. C. I am here alone and need the keys to the house. Please give them to me Brian."

"Why is Sean not here with you? You are not supposed to go anywhere alone. How did you get here?"

"I drove the van."

"You drove? You are not allowed to drive."

"All right, I am not allowed to do a lot of things but I had to come. I was told to come." He sits down heavily in the chair in the office.

"What do mean told to come?"

Aaron looks at Brian with stricken eyes, "He's back Brian and he took Angie. He told me to come here. I know that I shouldn't have come alone but all I knew was that I had to come and if I told somebody they might not have let me. Can I use your computer a minute? Please Brian."

"Sure come on." Aaron goes on the computer and brings up his email and opens the photo of Angie to show Brian. Who looks and feels the man's pain. "You still should have told someone and not come alone. I am going to call Sean now and let him know that you are okay." He calls Sean's cell phone.

Sean is just about to get on the jet when his phone rang. "Hello."

"Sean, its Brian from the hometown, how are you?"

"I'm a little busy right now Brian. What can I do for you?"

"I'm just calling to let you know that I have your missing man in front of me."

"Aaron is there?"

"Yes, he is okay and will not be doing anymore driving. He came to me to get the keys to the house. He came because the man took Angie and told him to come here. I saw the email that the man sent him. He knows that he should not have come alone but Aaron could not think of anything except obeying the man who has Angie. I am going to take him to the house and we will wait for you."

"Well, the GPS on the van told us where it is and the jet is about to leave. We should be there in a few hours, try and get him to eat and get some rest. There is a go bag in the van with clothes, diapers and a few bottles for him.


	33. Return of the Leader

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Three.**

At the house, Brian gets out and checks the go bags that Sean mentioned. There are three of them, one with adult male underwear, one with disposable diapers and one with cloth diapers. He knows that Aaron wears diapers but not if he wears disposables or the cloth kind. He asks, "Aaron what kind of diaper do you wear?" Aaron just grunts in reply. He decides to take both bags into the house. He comes back out to the van to get Aaron from his car seat. He looks at the pouting man and asks, "Do you want to walk in or should I carry you?"

Aaron answers, "I'll walk." The men go into the house and Brian heads to the dining room to set the table up for changing Aaron's diaper. Since he doesn't know which bag yet, he takes both bags into the room. Heading back to the living room for Aaron, who still seems in a little shock in being back there, Brian gently touches him to prod him to the dining room.

"Come on Aaron, let's change your diaper." Aaron balks.

"No."

"Aaron, you have been in a wet diaper for many hours, it isn't good for your skin. Allow me to change you please."

"No Brian, not you."

"Aaron, I am our oldest living friend and we have known each other for what seems like forever. The first time I met you, you were wearing a diaper. I couldn't help to take care of you then but I can now. Please don't let male ego cause you to get a rash foolishly." Aaron lets out a sight of frustration as he goes with Brian to the dining room. He sees both bags and looks quizzingly at Brian.

"I didn't know which one was yours." Aaron went to one and opened another pocket that held four bottles in it and in the other bag there was crackers, and snacks with sippy cups. "Ah, I should have checked out the other pockets I see." The men smile as Aaron takes down his pants and gets on the table. Brian gets Aaron's diapering stuff out and proceeds to clean the man and put a dry diaper on him. After redressing the men go back to the living room, Brian brings two bottles with them and goes to sit on one end of the sofa. He looks up at Aaron who is in a quandary because he is hungry but doesn't want Brian to feed him.

"I did this before at the park, come on and let me help get some nutrition in that body." Aaron's stomach rumbles loudly in reply. Aaron sits down and leans back into Brian's waiting arms. Brian puts the nipple of the bottle in his mouth and Aaron closes his eyes and begins to suckle greedily on the bottle. Brian begins to hum the same song that he had done on Memorial Day. Aaron put his hands to Brian's mouth and opened his eyes. Brian takes the hand from his mouth.

"You don't want me to hum? Last time you seemed to like it. I know Kathy used to sing it to the kids. Is that why you don't want me to hum it, too many memories? Let me hum the song to you; I know last time you were comforted by it." Aaron was not really sure he wanted to feel that safe in Brian's arms and be comforted like that but decided to let Brian hum the song, it did make him feel good. Brian begins to hum again.

When the bottle was done, Brian removed it from Aaron's mouth who said, "Still hungry Brian." He spoke in a very young voice.

"Then it is good I have another bottle for you," which he proceeds to put in the man's mouth and Aaron falls asleep while on the second bottle and Brian just kept holding and humming to the man.

Meanwhile our agents are on the plane talking about why Hotch would have done this rash action. Rossi has been trying to get Angie on her phone to let her know where they are and about Hotch. Sean has been sitting in the back of the plane listening to them and looks up at the agents. He goes to the laptop to open the email and saw the picture.

He says, "You need to see this," as he points the screen to the agents.

Spencer says, "Is that mommy?" As he enters toddler mode by seeing Angie like that. Emily takes Spencer away while the others check out the email.

Rossi says, "Well that explains why I can't reach her and why he left abruptly."

Morgan says, "But it doesn't explain why he didn't let anyone know. He knows that he is not supposed to do things alone. I mean we know that he is pretending to be a baby but legally that is his role. He chose to be dependant which means no doing things by yourself."

Emily comes back over and says, "I got him calmed a little, but he has definitely entered toddler mode."

Sean gets up and goes to the boy who grabs him tightly and puts his head in the man's shirt. Sean goes to the diaper bag and gets one of Aaron's bottles out. He takes Spencer to the sofa and sits down with him offering the bottle, which Spencer takes readily.

Sean looks up at the others staring at them and says, "He doesn't take the bottle often and only since the doctor's office. Sometimes it is the best way for him to relax enough to sleep which should bring him back to adult mode. He rarely wakes up in toddler mode." There are several faces of understanding staring back at him.

Rossi says, "How did you know about this email?"

He answers, "Just before I got on the plane, I received a call from Brian." Emily perks up. "He said that our missing man was there."

"Hotch is there! exclaim the others.

"Yeah, Aaron is there and he told Brian that this email is why he was there. I told Brian to feed him and have him rest until we get there. We need to find Angie. Aaron, I think, believes that the man who tortured him took her to torture him some more. We need to remember that this man twenty years ago raped Kathy and Angie and last February, he raped Aaron. This man is capable of doing anything to her."

Rossi has Garcia look into where the email came from and if there was a way to find what camera took the picture.

They finally land in the private strip outside of town. Sean calls Brian on his cell phone but there is no answer. They all look at each other with questions. He then tries calling on the house phone.

"Hello."

"Hello, Brian, it is Sean. I tried you on your cell phone but there wasn't any answer."

"Yeah, that phone is not very close to where I am."

"Where are you?"

"In the living room on the sofa with Aaron sleeping on me."

"I see, we just got into the airport, can you pick us up?"

"If I do then I have to leave Aaron alone, let me see if I can get someone else to come and pick you up."

"That sounds good and we don't want to leave Aaron alone. Call me when you get someone."

Brian goes on the phone to have a friend get the van to come and pick the agents up.

A man by the name of John comes in the red van and Stuart comes in a pick-up truck behind to the airport to pick up the agents. Sean takes the keys to the van and thanks John who leaves with Stuart with the all the go bags and the stroller in the pickup. The agents get in the van, David in the passenger seat, Spencer in his seat and Emily and Derek take up the sofa seat in the back, JJ and Garcia stayed back in Quantico to provide back-up should the agents need it. Arriving back at the house, the agents get out and take the bags from the pick-up and say thanks to the men for their help. Sean comes into the house and sees his brother sitting up on the sofa having just awakened from his nap. A great sigh of relief at the sight followed by a spurt of parental style anger at him.

"Aaron, what were you thinking coming here without telling anybody? I should spank you until you can't sit down for a month. But I am just glad you are safe." He goes to hold him tightly and Aaron stands up to do the same.

"I am sorry that I upset you Sean, but I saw the picture on my e-mail and I just couldn't think of anything but getting here. The note said to come to Kathy's place, which is here. I should have waited for you, told David or Derek, but I wasn't sure that you would bring me here and I had to come."

"You're damn right I would not have. You should be in the apartment ready to be put in your crib for bed. Let the others find and rescue Angie."

"I can't do that Sean. I am her hero and she needs me to come to her rescue. If I can't do that for her than I will never be able to do it for anyone else. Do you understand that Sean?"

"No, I don't. You need to be safe. That man wants to hurt and torture you and taking Angie helps him do that. You are the one who is in danger. Why can't you see that?"

Brian breaks in to the men's conversation saying, "He can't see that Sean." Sean looks at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I have known this man a lot longer than you have been alive. I used to watch him stand up in front of people three times his size to protect people twice his size. He never backed down and he never accepted that just because they were bigger that they were better or stronger. He allowed himself to be beat up and hurt so that others weren't. That is who he is and to ask him to stay behind to be protected is not going to happen. Not by the man that I always known. I was once one of those bullies that he placed himself in front of. He weighed about 45 pounds to my 80 pounds, but he was not going to allow me to hurt my intended victim. It was a few years later that we became friends."

"Are you saying that it was okay for him to steal my van and come here?"

"No, he should have told you. I am saying that you cannot hide him from this kidnapper; he has been doing that himself. When was the last time you actually saw your big brother." Sean looks at Brian and then looks back to Aaron and realizes that is exactly what he is seeing, the man who had been hiding for five months is standing tall and strong before him.

Aaron looks at Sean and says, "I know that it is late, Sean, but we need to find a way of locating Angie. I want to head out in the morning and so we need to figure out where she might be. Spencer." As he looked over to the man and saw all the amazed and pleased looks of his agents who actually see their leader standing before them. "Let's focus people. Spencer, I want to start a geographical profile of the area between the D. C. area and here. She is in that area. Derek, I want to you to explore your contacts about getting some satellite help in locating her signature. Tell them who it is for, she probably has higher clearance than you do, if you need passwords for her, let me know. Sean, you go and fix some snacks and drinks. Emily, you and Brian talk about where the kidnappers might be here in town; check empty houses, warehouse, whatever you might think that they may be at. David …"

David breaks in, "I think you and I need to talk in private." Aaron looks at him with some trepidation but nodded his head. "Let us get busy people. Spencer, you will not work for too long. You will get ready for bed in one hour and call Garcia to get help on the geographics of the area." Aaron and he went to the den to talk more about the situation and how to locate Angie. As well as Aaron's actions of not having his team come with him and trusting that if he had they would have started to look for her hours earlier.

A few hours later, just after midnight, Spencer had created a geographic of where the barn that Angie might be held and Derek used his friend who can search by satellite to narrow it down to a further place where Angie and the group has a working profile of where to find her as well as where the unsubs might be in the town. There is no way to check it out that night so they go to bed to wake fresh and capable in the morning. Spencer had gotten dressed in his sleeper earlier and was now changed and put to bed by Sean as he was becoming more toddler mode each minute. Aaron was dressed and already put to bed an hour earlier by his brother. He didn't want to but fell asleep at the table while looking at the map that Garcia had sent to the laptop. The others went to the other beds that were around the house and Brian went home.


	34. Hero's Rescue

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Four.**

Early the next morning, our boys and agents began to wake up and Sean went to fix breakfast, David went to clean and change Spencer. Derek was the first to get into the shower and Emily went to the other bathroom to shower. When Sean finished fixing crepes and potatoes with coffee and juice for the others, he went to wake Aaron, who was sitting on the bed when Sean came in the room.

"Good morning Aaron. Did you sleep well?" Aaron looked up and nodded his head. "Then let's get you changed and dressed for the day." Aaron went to the long dresser top that Sean had set up as a changing table and which David had used earlier with Spencer. He sat down and Sean removed his night sleeper and diaper and cleaned him up. He powdered him from head to foot and then diapered him and put him in a pair of docker pants and a button down shirt over his onesie.

"Do I have to wear the onesie?"

"Yes, it is part of your outfit, so get you used to it. I make those decisions until you can prove to the court that you are capable of doing so and one day of acting like your normal adult self is not going to prove that." He lifted the man off the changing table and carried him downstairs.

"I can walk, Sean."

"Can you eat by yourself?"

"I haven't tried in months." Sean looked at him and decided to give his big brother the chance to do so and he carries him to the dining room table and puts him in an armed dining chair. He fixes him a plate of crepes, which he cuts up for him and some potatoes with a sippy cup of juice. He put a spoon in Aaron's hand after putting an adult bib around his neck. Aaron picks up a piece of crepe but the coordination from his hand to mouth was not very good since it hadn't been used for a while. He was very rusty and spilled half way to his mouth, he then tried another bite and that spilled as well. It was like a train wreck, he didn't expect to have lost so much control and become so weak because of his choice not to feed himself and chew food. Sean finally picked up another smaller spoon that he had bought in the baby section. He picked up a small bite and brought it to his brother's mouth, which opened up and then tried to remember how to chew the food and discovered little control over his tongue to chew. He tried to swallow and almost choked when he admitted that he was not able to feed himself or chew food anymore. He looked at Sean and said, "Bottle Sean." Sean picks up his brother and takes him to the sofa in the living room where he sits and Aaron lays back into his arms and accepts the bottle of baby formula that is placed into his mouth. The team clears the table as they came back into the dining room since leaving Aaron to try to feed himself and knowing that it a failure.

After the dining table was cleared, the team sat around and discussed about where Angie was and the information that they had compiled the night before. When Aaron finished two bottles, one of formula and one of apple juice, he came and joined the others at the table. The geographic map that Spencer, Garcia and Derek made up the night before showed some locations that looked promising. They called Garcia to help narrow it more if she could and finally got it to one that looks the best. Our agents decided that David, Aaron and Derek would go and check the barn. Emily and Brian would go and check out the empty buildings in the town. Spencer stayed to remain connected to Garcia and Sean stayed to take care of Spencer. David took a bag of extra clothes, diapers and bottles for Aaron and the three went in the van with Aaron harnessed in his seat and the others belted in the front seats. Derek began the drive to look for Angie while David kept the laptop and the GPS open for changes and information that might be relayed by Spencer.

After about four hours, our three agents come to a small area in the boondocks and see a rundown barn with peeling red paint and a running horse weather vane. They stop and look around the ground which shows fresh SUV tracks. Derek takes photos and measurements of the tracks while David gets Aaron out of his car seat. The two men walk toward the front of the barn, David has his gun out while Aaron follows behind him without any weapons. They open the door and see an open space with chains, knives, blades and plow razors hanging all around. There is a smell of fresh and musty straw and hay. A cow mooed as they walked past it and they heard the chirps of birds and other things scuttling in the straw.

Angie is sitting in the last stall and since the barn is kept very dark, she can't really see. She hears the footsteps of two men walking toward and knows that it is not the kidnapper because he had already been there and his footfall was quite different. She got the smell of powder to assail her nostrils and knew it was her hero, Aaron.

She called out as loudly as possible, "Aaron, I am here darling in the last stall, I think. Aaron?" She hears the running of feet and then sees a shadow come across the gate of the stall where she is at and knows it is him. She smiles and he comes running to her and sits down beside her to hold her with a great hug. Another shadow comes in and is just as relieved when he comes to her other side and also hugs her.

"Hello, David," she says. "I knew you both would come. I knew my hero would come for me." Aaron kisses her deeply and with great passion while David went to look at the cuff on her ankle and how to get it off. Derek came in and went to also hug her and she kissed his check. "Another hero to come to save me, but the most important one is over here." She turned and kissed Aaron on the lips again. David cut the plastic cuff and Aaron lifted Angie to take her to the van and placed her in Spencer's seat and adult lap belted her in. He then got into his seat and sat holding her hand and gazing at her with gratitude that she appears to be okay. David comes up and says to Aaron, "Before we head out let's change your diaper." Aaron looks at him with slight irritation because he doesn't want to let go of Angie's hand. "She's not going anywhere. Come on get out of your chair." Aaron reluctantly does so and David changes him and then puts him back into his chair. Where Aaron once again is holding Angie's hand across the aisle, she doesn't really feel it because she did not sleep at any time that she was in the barn and fell asleep in the chair the moment she could. She knew she was safe now.

After harnessing Aaron, David gave him a bottle and then he and Derek got into the front seats. It took slightly over another four hours to get back to the house in hometown. When they got there, Spencer was so excited that he reverted to toddler mode. Sean had just changed him and gave him dinner before the van drove up. Brian and Emily did not have such a productive day, all the empty buildings that they went to did not check out, even the ones that the sheriff and his deputies checked out were a bust.

The guys came in from the van with Aaron carrying Angie in even though she told him that it wasn't necessary.

He says, "Let me carry you as you have carried me so many times." She kisses him and he places her on her feet when they had crossed the threshold. Spencer came rushing to her screaming Mommy and grabbed her around the waist when he bent and put his head into her chest. Aaron looked at that suspiciously and held back the urge to pull him back by the hair out of her chest. She looked down at the boy and then up at Aaron and blew him a kiss. Spencer looked up at her and smiled at her and then glanced over that scowl on Aaron's face. He then stepped back from Angie and said sorry to Aaron. Aaron just ruffled his hair and told him it was okay. Sean breaks in and also hugged Angie and then gently prodded her to the dining room where he had a good meal waiting for her. She smiled gratefully at him. David and Derek also sat down for dinner and Sean then took Aaron and held him for two bottles of protein drink and juice.

After eating, the agents and friends just relaxed for the rest of the night. Some played chess; others played different games or watched television. It got to be late in the evening when Sean decided to put Spencer and Aaron in their sleepers and then had them go to bed; he was only concerned about these two. He thought the others would make that decision for themselves and they shortly went to bed soon after the boys. Angie went to sleep before the boys after taking a long relaxing bath. She went to bed on Kathy's bed, which is the first time it was used since her death nine months ago. Aaron went to check on her and then lay down beside her, which is not where Sean put him. When Sean came to check on him one hour later and found him missing from his bed, he got extremely upset and yelled "Aaron!!!!?"

The scream woke the entire house including Aaron and Angie. She was shocked to find him in bed curled around her. They smiled at her and she said, "You had better get back to your own bed or Sean is going to have a conniption."

"Let him, I already have to be punished for disobeying him. What's another spanking?"

"Punished for doing what?"

"I stole the van and drove here by myself to find you."

"You did what?!?"

"I had to come and I didn't think he would allow me to unless I came by myself. Please don't be mad too. Isn't it bad enough that he is?"

"No it is not. You should have never done that and especially not for me. I'm not worth you getting yourself hurt or caught by that man. That is why you are not allowed to be alone."

"I know that, but…"

"No, No buts about it. Don't you ever do that again. I love that you came for me, but you should not have come by yourself."

"So I have been told." He hangs his head in hurt and mild frustration at the situation he put himself in. She looks at him with sadness but then kisses him deeply.

"My sweet hero." He looks at her and kisses her again. When there is a knock on the door. "Come in Sean." Sean enters and sees her in the bed; Aaron dug himself under the covers.

"I'm sorry to bother you Angie, but have you seen Aaron?" Aaron starts to tickle her under the covers as he kisses her on different parts of her body that he could reach with moving too much.

"Seen Aaron, is he missing?"

"He is not in his bed and if find him, I am going to discipline him like the disobedient child he is."

"What will you do?"

"I don't yet, he should be spanked but I might just put him in a time-out corner in the morning instead of allowing him to join his team in looking for the kidnapper." Aaron heard that and was not happy. "Do you have any idea where he might be?" When he looks at her, she looks like she is about to burst with laughter. She nods her head and with the one hand that she has out she points into her bed. Sean opens his eyes and goes over to the bed where he pulls back the covers to show his wayward brother.

Aaron says, "You can't not let me work on the case with my team."

"Oh, but I can. You need to get out of Angie's bed and return to your own so she can get some sleep."

She says, "Sean, please let him stay with me. We'll behave ourselves and not take off his sleeper at all." She smiles gently at him. Sean looks at the two in the bed.

"I'll see you in the morning and have whatever fun you can with his sleeper on." Aaron sticks his tongue out at Sean and Angie just smiles as the man leaves.

When he leaves the room, he sees the all the other members of the house and apologizes for waking them but explained that Aaron was not in the bed that he had left him in. He wanted to sleep somewhere else. A lot of snickers and chuckles at this news while they all go back to bed.


	35. You are not my Master

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Five.**

The next morning, our family and agents wake and it is similar to the day before except that Angie is there and she feeds Aaron instead of Sean doing so. The others talk about where to find the kidnapper while she takes Aaron around the town in the stroller. When they get to the tree house, there are some children wandering around and they ask about him.

She says, "This is Aaron of the tree house, he had an accident and is healing from but it has made a little young for his age. He has difficulties walking, talking and doing things for himself."

One the girls say, "I am sorry to hear about that" and talks to Aaron in a very babyish tone, "Would you like to play with us Aaron?" She looks up at Angie for permission.

Angie l bends down to look at him and asks, "Would you like to do that honey, have fun with the children? You can play on the play ground equipment with them." He looks at her like he was going to kill her when they get home as she smiles sweetly at him. He shook his head no and she nodded her head yes. He reached out for her to take him out of the stroller which she did. She put him on the ground near the play equipment and the kids encouraged him to crawl to different places and the pushed him on the swings and on the merry go round and helped him go down the slide without bumping anything. For over an hour the children played, when Angie came over and told the children that Aaron had to take a break. He can't be out in the sun too long and she was going to take him up to the tree house.

She takes him over to the tree house where she had put the stroller and then he starts to crawl up the steps and she follows. The tree house is empty of any children and the two do lock the trapdoor. Aaron stood him and glared at Angie as she smiles sweetly at him. He crosses to her and kisses her with all the passion of the horniest of men.

He says, "That was not nice of you to have the children treat me that way."

"Treat you in what way," again with a sweet smile at him. He narrowed his eyes and bent to nibble at her neck.

"You allowed them to treat me like a disabled child, who couldn't do anything for themselves."

"Isn't that what you are, didn't you choose to be a baby?"

He looks at her and says, "Is that what you see when you look at me."

"Not anymore." She kisses him and the two begin to remove their clothes. "Let's change your diaper." He looks at her and sees a woman that looked a little like a wolf ready to pounce on its prey. She begins to lie him down and rub on his hardening man root. She pulls his pants over that rising piece of man that she seems to want to get bigger. She removes the diaper that has been restraining it and begins to clean him while rubbing the piece so that it gets harder and harder, the man groans and reaches out to her but she puts his arms down and just concentrates on that man root. She puts her lips on that rising piece of man and begins to suck on it so that it gets harder and longer. After a while she feels it ready to enter her sheath and takes off her panties. She puts her leg over him and proceeds to sit on that large risen stick coming up from his body. She begins to move up and down after he is in her and like a horsewoman posting on her stallion, she rides pillion. Yelling, "Hi Ho Silver away!" The man and woman enjoy each other as he comes inside her. She falls down by him and they rest after their passion was spent. She lies in his arms and he kisses her gently. She gets up and finishes her diapering of him. She lies back down and they both fall asleep in each other's arms for a short time.

While Aaron and Angie enjoy the tree house, our agents are at the house trying to find where the kidnappers might be but when JJ called and tells them that a case might have come up and began to talk about a town in Arkansas asking for help in finding the perpetrator who has killed four well-known women in three weeks. The team decides to go and Sean of course will stay with Angie and Aaron while David will take care of Spencer until Sean comes home to Quantico. The team leaves.

A few hours later, our man and woman came down from the tree house and Aaron gets into his stroller and Angie walks them back to the house. Entering the house, Aaron is let out of the stroller and they go to seek the others they left behind. Sean comes in to the living room and says, "Hi, the rest of the team has left. JJ called and they went on a case to Arkansas." Aaron goes to the phone and calls JJ about the case and they talk for awhile. Angie decided to go to the empty lot next door and see what it would be like as a garden to Kathy. She looks around and starts to visualize bushes, flowers, trees and beauty all around. Sean comes out to her and asks if there is anything he can pick up for her at the store. She tells him not at this time but to be available for her later that day. He reminds her that Aaron is still inside alone.

"I am not inside alone." The other two look behind Sean to see Aaron sitting on the steps of the house. Sean goes over.

He asks, "Do you want to go to the store with me?"

"No, I'll stay here and watch while Angie designs a landscaping plan for this plot of land."

"You stay where she can keep an eye on you."

"I will, go away Sean."

Sean kissed the top of his brother's head and goes to the van to head to the store. Angie continues to measure and write on her sketch pad about the plot while Aaron sits on the front steps and watches her. What they do not see is the back steps being used and the back door opening to let two men into the house. In the house, they look around and know that the house is empty because they have been keeping watch. They head upstairs to find the room with the disposable diapers in it, for they know that is where their puppy sleeps. They look around for appropriate hiding places until the puppy goes to bed that night. They had brought backpacks of drinks and food with them to wait. The father takes the closet and the son takes the space under the bed. They are giddy with excitement about teaching the puppy that its master is not happy.

Later that afternoon, Sean has come home and is fixing dinner for him and Angie while she and Aaron are in the living room where she is feeding him a bottle of protein drink. She hums a song to him that is similar to Kathy's but not exact, however he finds it just as comforting. When he finishes the bottle he sees that there is not another one and he is still hungry. "Still hungry Angie."

"Sean wants to give you something new tonight." She has him sit up and gets up while Sean comes in and sits down. Aaron lies back into his arms and Sean places a bib on him and opens a jar of baby food, level one for the first time eater. He takes the small spoon that he had earlier and put some food on the spoon and placed into his brother's mouth. Aaron doesn't have much tongue control, but works at it and the soft food just slides to the back of his mouth and Aaron works at swallowing it. He was surprised that it went down easily and he smiled and opened his mouth for another bite. Sean places another spoonful of food into his waiting brother's mouth. This time Aaron actually tasted it and found it tasted okay but he liked the fact that he was actually eating solid food and not just drinking from his bottle. He felt proud of himself tonight.

A few hours later, Sean decides to talk to his brother about his actions a few days earlier. They go to the office.

"Aaron, as you know I am very upset and angry with you about stealing the van and coming here. I know that you felt that it was necessary and that I wouldn't allow you to come if you hadn't stolen it. But you should have given me the opportunity to protect and to hear your reasoning for coming. What you did was very wrong and you have not yet been punished for it. I have calmed down from that first day but I still feel that my initial reaction was correct and you should be spanked as a young child for disobedience and theft of the van."

Aaron just looks at Sean as he talked and even though in his mind he knows that his brother was correct but he still felt that he needed to do what he did. He asks, "Sean, what do you want to do about it."

"I don't know because I don't want to hurt you but I can't allow you to feel that what you did is acceptable and can be allowed. Would you punish me if the roles were reversed? What if in ten years, Jack does it, how would you react?"

"That's not fair Sean. You can't determine one action based on another action. If Jack did it, it would be a different set of circumstances. If our roles were reversed and I was in control and had guardianship over you, I would punish you for scaring me and letting your own desires overcome your responsibilities. What type of punishment would suffice? It would need to be embarrassing to fully help to deliver the impact of the anger you feel. But you are the 'parent' in this situation Sean. You are the one with the responsibility of discipline and control over me. You have to make that decision as the adult in this situation."

"Then I believe that you should be spanked, what you did was reckless, rash and completely selfish. It is for these reasons that I will spank you tonight before bedtime which will be in one hour." The men get up and go back to the living room where they spend time with Angie for the next hour. When the hour is up, Sean tells Aaron to go upstairs to Kathy's room.

Aaron looks upset at this, "No Sean, not in Kathy's room."

"Yes Aaron, it is the room that I think you will get the most impact of discipline in." Sean does not look happy, but Aaron looks about to cry at having to be spanked in Kathy's room. He does not want to destroy the sanctity of that room by this act.

"Please Sean, not Kathy's room, I'll do it willingly and I'll never disobey again if we don't do it there. Please Sean."

"Kathy's room Aaron, no other room will suffice." Aaron looks at the strength of his younger brother's face and saw Kathy in those features and that she was the one upset and would be spanking him. He already begins to tear up when he goes upstairs. He stops in front of her door and opens it readily. He looks around at her bookshelves, her rocking chair and her bed pointing toward the window. Now facing the tree house instead of the bedroom in the house next door, the bedroom he grew up in. He began to remove his clothes and finally sat on the bed wearing just his diaper. Sean knocks and walks into the room and sees his older brother sitting on the edge of the bed in just his diaper.

"I'm glad to see you prepared yourself by taking off your clothes." He goes over to his brother and sits down next to him and bends him over his knee, setting him in position to be spanked. He holds the upper body down and lifts his knee to position the buttocks in a better position. However, he had not yet taken the diaper off. Sean takes the wooden hairbrush that he brought in with him and started to spank Aaron while he was still padded slightly by the diaper. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. The smacks continue in silence of both men until Sean has given Aaron a smack for each year of his chronological age. After which Sean lifts up his crying brother and takes him from the room to take him to his regular room where he takes off his diaper and places soothing lotion of his behind. Sean then takes him to the bed and placed Aaron once again over his lap without his diaper on and with his bare hand once again in silence began to smack his brother on the bare behind. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. Once again there is one smack for each year of his chronological age. Aaron is crying loudly and in pain from the smacks. Sean places a moisture proof pad on the center of the bed and places Aaron on it bare ass naked with his bare ass looking as red as Rudolph's shiny red nose. Sean puts some lotion on his behind before leaving the room and letting the man cry.

The closet door opens and 'Uncle Bob' comes out of it, while his son comes out from under the bed. They smile widely at each other and being witness to this humiliation of their puppy. The son goes to the head and whispers in the crying man's ear, "Hello puppy." Aaron opens his eyes in fear and whimpers and cries even harder.

The father began to rub Aaron's behind hard and made it even more painful as he began to pinch the reddened area. It was when he began to open the crack between the twin globes that Aaron began to cry ever more loudly in his hope that Sean would come and check on him. The son smacked him along the side of the head and said, "Stop your crying or we will give you something even worse to cry about than just a spanking." Aaron struggled but stopped crying and making any noise. The father kept exploring Aaron's backside and the area between the globes. He went over and took some of the lotion that Sean had over there and put a generous amount in his hand. He walked back over to the man on the bed and knelt on the bed beside him and went back to his exploration of the hole in Aaron's backside. He began to spread lotion all over the buttocks and then into that hole. He is just thrilled how tight and sweet that hole is.

"Dad, we don't have time to do a full exam of his hole. Baby puppy, you have not been a good boy and I think it is time you remember who is your master."

Aaron hears this man speak to him and finally got angry. He knows that he is not his master and is ineffectual in hurting anybody he loves. He looks at the man and says, "You are not my master." Aaron rolls over the side of the bed to get away from both of these men. He screams, "Sean!!!!"

He runs to the door to get out but the father gets there first and then Aaron runs to the closet and closes the door behind him and is able to lock it. When he gets there he crouches as far back as he can and feels behind a locked box that opens with pressing down the right buttons. He tries a common combination that would have been for him and Kathy. The box opened and a Smith and Wesson pistol stared at him, there was a group of bullets next to it. The gun was currently unloaded, but he put the group of bullets in to it. He did not know when the gun had last been cleaned or cared for but at this moment he didn't care.

Downstairs, Sean and Angie heard Aaron scream. Angie went on the cell phone and called 9-1-1 to get the sheriff there and Sean ran upstairs and goes to the door which has been locked on the inside to prevent him from entering. He began to bang on the door and yells for Aaron. He tries to break the door down but doesn't know exactly the best way to do it so he only gets a sore shoulder from it.

Outside, sirens begin to sound in the air as the sheriff and his deputies come running up. Angie sends them upstairs to the room that Sean is trying to get into. Inside the room, the father and son are barricading the door and keeping an eye out on the closet. The door of the closet slowly opens and Hotch comes out with the gun pointed in front of him, he aims it at the son but keeps an out for the father. He says to the father, "Push the dresser back into place or your son dies right now."

The man doesn't care about his son that much and refuses to move anything. Aaron than asks the son, "Do you care if your father lives?" The son moves the dresser because he doesn't want to die. On the other side of the door, the Sheriff and officers wonder if they should try to crash it or not. From within they hear Hotch, "Sean, you can break it in now."

At that statement, the officers' break down the door, just as the father moves forward to Hotch and he pulls the trigger.


	36. Court

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Six.**

"Stop Squirming." She smacks his bottom. He squirms again.

"I can't help it, I am nervous. What if the judge says no and doesn't lift any of the restrictions? What if he says that I can't work? What if…"

"What if you calm down and allow me to finish doing your tie or will put a clip-on on you."

"No. I want the judge to see as an adult, not a baby who can't wear a tie."

"Then stand still."

"Where is Sean?"

"He is dressing himself."

"Where is Spencer?"

"He is already dressed and eating breakfast and hopefully not spilling it all over himself. He is excited for you. We need to finish here so you can get some solid food, otherwise you just get a bottle in the van, which means you will be very hungry later and that could affect the way you act in the courtroom. So let's finish dressing, so you can eat." She finishes his tie and picks up his jacket, so that they leave the nursery. Entering the dining room, Spencer is seated at the table with a bib on eating breakfast. Sean is eating breakfast as well. She goes over and kisses Spencer on the head and looks at Sean to say, "Thank you for putting the bib on him."

Spencer speaks up and says, "I am not a baby and don't' need a bib."

"Indulge your momma, "and kisses him again, She sits down opposite Aaron who sat next to Sean. Sean puts the bib on Aaron and then places baby food stage three in front of Aaron, He is given a spoon with which to feed himself and he slowly and carefully lift a spoonful of the soft and grainy food to his mouth. The hand wavers a little and Sean places his fingers along to give strength to his brother. The food enters his mouth and he works to chew and swallow. Aaron does this for about six spoonfuls before giving the spoon to Sean who finishes spoon feeding the bowl of food to his brother. Spencer finishes ad goes to brush his teeth and when Aaron finishes, Sean helps him brush his teeth and the group heads to the van.

On the way to the courthouse, Angie asks Spencer, "Have you written a letter to your parents in Vegas?"

He answers. "I write to mom everyday but I don't write to my father."

"I want you to write to him."

"But I have nothing to say to him," whines the man.

"You can tell him what you tell your mother."

"He won't care."

"Why do you think that?"

"He didn't stop you from adopting me."

"Sweetie, we didn't need his permission for that. We asked out of courtesy, not need and when he learned why we were doing it, he was very supportive."

"He could have said that he wanted to take care of me."

"That's true, but he didn't know how and wasn't prepared to do so. Besides, you don't want to live in Las Vegas, do you?"

"No."

"He didn't want to live here. So things worked out well but don't cut him off, okay sweetheart. He does care about you."

Spencer sighs, "I'll write to him tonight." To tease his adoptive mommy, he decides to ask for something crazy and says, "Mommy, can I have a pony?" Aaron and Sean look at him funny, but Angie without missing a beat responds.

She says, "No, I will not buy you a pony, but we can always buy a rocking horse for the playroom." Spencer just looks at her with his mouth open.

He says weakly, "Okay."

Aaron speaks up and says, "Spencer, I don't think you need a rocking horse."

"But I want one."

"No, you don't need a rocking horse."

Spencer begins to pout as Sean drives into the courthouse parking lot. The two adults in the front seat get out and release the two in the second row from their car seats. Sean gets out the stroller for Aaron, who protests.

"No, we're trying to show that I am capable, not that I am not."

"Get in Aaron." The men stare at each other. "You get in or we go home and have the attorney cancel today's hearing. I am not arguing with you about this. There is a reason why we will be using it, you have to trust me."

"Please Sean; I am trying to show that I am not a baby."

"I know but the judge needs to see where you come from and I don't want you to get tired." Aaron hesitantly and unhappily gets into the stroller. Sean places a cover over the canopy of the stroller, completely covering the stroller and man inside. The group heads into the courthouse. When they get to the third floor, they pass by another courtroom which had Johnson going in to a courtroom for a hearing about an appeal on the decision of no-bail and to discuss parole violations for extradition to Minnesota to complete his previous conviction of 14 life sentences for raping 14 people. Angie heads into that courtroom to hear the proceedings and give testimony if necessary. The men continue to the family courtroom where Aaron' hearing of capability is to be held. Sean takes him out of his stroller and puts it in the back of the courtroom while the men find their attorney and sit and wait for their case to be called.

Aaron asks Sean, "Where is Angie?"

"She has business in another courtroom today."

"Where and what are you protecting me from. I know that you there was something that you didn't want me to see, that's why you covered the stroller. What didn't you want me to see? What else is happening here in the courthouse that worries you?" A thought comes to his head and he looks at Sean with concern. "He is here, isn't he?"

Sean looks at his astute brother and says, "Let it go Aaron. You don't want to know if he is or not. I am not allowing him near you. Stop thinking about it and focus on what you need to do here. You are trying to get some of the restrictions in your life reduced or removed by showing that you can handle the responsibilities that come with them. That is what you need to concentrate on, not on that man and whatever he is doing." The men clasp hands in strength and Aaron nods his head and works at remembering what he needs to do. But he can't help remembering that night two months ago and what has happened since then.

_Flashback_

_Johnson Sr. lunges at Aaron who squeezes the trigger and the man goes down, a hole opening in his chest and spurting blood all over Aaron. Johnson Jr. screams and aims at Aaron to shoot him and is physically hit by the sheriff's deputy. The people in the hall come rushing into the room and see a nude man with a smoking gun looking at the older man at his feet and another man with a gun being wrestled to the ground. Sean goes over to Aaron and grabs the comforter off the bed to wrap his brother in while the sheriff goes over and takes the gun from his hands. Sean discovers Aaron shivering and it isn't from being cold. An ambulance is called as well as the coroner and the brothers leave the room where Angie is waiting downstairs and Aaron takes her in his arms and buries his face into shoulder crying. Sean is still right there behind him and supporting him. The trio just stands there and comforts each other. The sheriff brings young Johnson by who screams at them, saying that he was going to get the puppy no matter and that nothing would stop him from destroying him. The sheriff tells him to shut up. When the EMT's arrive they go to check out the naked man in the arms of his lover and his brother. They take him to the hospital to check him for shock and do a sexual assault test on him, which showed positive._

_There is no need to keep him in the hospital, they took photos and swabs and then Dr. Hendrickson came to talk to Sean about Aaron's physical and mental state. Physically, he was healing well and would recover but mentally he is struggling to see beyond the assault of once again having his backside violated. It may only have been by fingers this time, but it was still a cruel violation. Sean reassures the doctor that Aaron would get the help he needs for the mental hurt that comes with it and goes to see him with clothes that he brought. Aaron looks up and says lets go back home today. Sean nods his head. Angie stays behind to continue creating the garden and to clean up the room that Aaron had been found in. She had it completely torn down to his bare bones to be redesigned and furnished._

_Sean and she talk about what to do with the two needy men in their lives and Sean looks in the D. C. area for a new place to call home. He wants to create a large five or six bedroom apartment but does not want a house with stairs; he wants it all on one floor and actually buys two adjoining condos and will be remodeling them into one apartment for the Hotchners. There will be bedroom for him, Angie, Jack and a nursery for the cribs of Aaron and Spencer as well as some spare bedrooms for guests. A large office library for Angie's books, a playroom, a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, laundry area, dining room and a sunroom. It would take many months of reconstruction to prepare for the family._

_Angie talks with Spencer about what he wants to do with his life, because the drug has completely inundated every cell in his body, the likelihood of their being able to get rid of it is small. It would affect him for the rest of his life and there would be times when he would be in adult mode, which is the most common and in toddler mode when he could do things and act in a way that would hurt him. It is believed that having someone to look after him when he becomes that toddler is necessary but who and in what capacity. They actually talk with his father in Las Vegas, who is shocked but doesn't think he could handle having to deal with an adult child and work at the same time. He thinks that Spencer needs a full-time caretaker not a part-time which is all he could do. Angie suggests adult adoption, where an adult of at least ten years older than Spencer could adopt and then take on the parental role of caring for him. The biological parents would no longer have any rights but Spencer could still care about them if he wanted to. Those parents also do not have to be contacted. Spencer can make this decision for himself. The discussion ends with Angie and Spencer leaving Las Vegas as mother and son. They return to D. C. and tell the group, who do something weird by throwing her a baby shower. Angie and Spencer continue to live with the Hotchners._

_End Flashback_

Back in the courtroom, our boys are still waiting for Aaron's case to be called and the boys are getting more and more hungry and impatient. Spencer wonders where mommy is and begins to go into toddler mode when he whines to Sean that he is hungry and uncomfortable (needs to be changed). Sean talks to the attorney that he needs to take the men to the bathroom and they would be back. The attorney told them to be quick. Sean takes both Aaron and Spencer to a closed off room that was empty and set up a changing table where he cleaned up Spencer first and then gave him a small snack while he cleaned up Aaron who he gave a bottle to for a few minutes. After fifteen minutes they are back in the courtroom waiting to be called.

In the other courtroom, Johnson Jr. has had his parole revoked and would be returning to the Minnesota State Prison to finish out his original sentence without parole. The current charges would not be added on unless he gets out again. Aaron would not have to testify or relive what this man has done to him. Angie is pleased with the results of the case and leaves the room to head to the family court rooms to check on her boys. When she arrives she sees them still sitting there waiting. She goes to sit by Spencer who is on the right side of Aaron. Sean is on the left side of him. Spencer looks at her and smiles and hugs her. He tells her that Sean just changed him and gave a little bit to eat but he was still hungry and bored. She could him teetering on the edge between adult and toddler mode and tells him that he will have to wait a little longer before he can have lunch. He pouts and goes back to playing the video game he had in his hand.

If you looked around the room, you would see the people in Aaron's life for the past seven months. Dr. Pitt, his psychiatrist, his occupational therapist, physical therapist, nurses, fellow agents, his boss, Angie, Sean and the people who have been testifying as what this man has been doing and how life has been affecting him. Aaron has been listening to them only half-heartedly, he has been focusing on what he is doing and would be saying without realizing that his case has been going on all morning with testimony by all of these people. It is their reports and eye witness statements that will influence the judge more than what Aaron says. Although, the judge has been watching the man all morning while listening to the people talk about him, he is most interested right now that it is getting close to lunch time. Will he get hungry and demand to eat or wait until he calls lunch and even though he is beginning to become hungry himself, he is delaying the call to lunch break. He did notice when Sean took him with the other young man out and wondered why. Aaron is becoming more fidgety and Sean has to keep his hand on his knee to keep him calm. His stomach is rumbling and he wants to eat. He quietly says to Sean, "hungry Sean."

Sean answers, "I know but we have to wait until the judge calls lunch, you just have to be patient and not show that you are hungry. Come on be a good man and we'll eat soon."

Spencer says loudly, "Mommy, I'm hungry." The entire courtroom laughs.

Angie smiles and says, "Hush, you will have to wait until the judge says you can lunch."

"Well, then make him call lunch." She puts her finger to his lips.

"Hush Spencer."

The judge who also is finding the interaction funny decides to finally call lunch and says, "Well, since the young man is so hungry maybe we will call lunch and meet back here at 2:30 pm." The courtroom clears out until finally only our people are there.

Spencer says, "Mommy, I'm okay. I am hungry but I did that to force the judge to declare lunch because Aaron needs to eat."

"I know and that makes you a good friend. We will head down to the food court in a minute."

Sean gets the stroller and Aaron gets into it readily. Sean completely covers the stroller and then gives Aaron a bottle of protein drink under the cover. They go down to the food court and get something to eat. They see the rest of the team but cannot eat or talk with them in order to not influence what they say to the judge about Aaron.

A hand reaches out from under the cover of the stroller and tries to find someone to contact with and accidently hits the knee of a woman walking by who squeals a little. Sean apologizes to her for what Aaron did in his innocence of trying to get his brother's attention. Sean looks under the cover and Aaron shows him an empty bottle and says, "Hungry Sean." Sean gets another bottle of pineapple orange juice for him to drink, which he takes and begins to greedily suck. Sean then places the stroller tray across Aaron and places some soft and easy food pieces to chew. Aaron puts the bottle in its holder and begins to pick up the pieces, reminded by Sean to chew thoroughly. A few minutes later, Sean checks and all the pieces are gone and Aaron is once again sucking his bottle.

After eating Aaron sleeps for a little while before they head back to the courtroom with a stopover in the small little room where they once again change the boys' diapers. Aaron is brought back into the courtroom still napping in the stroller at 2:20 pm. Angie suggests that Sean keep him in the hall until he wakes up and can come in on his own two feet. Sean takes the stroller back out and rocks it while Aaron is still napping when the court comes back into session. The judge notices that but does not ask where he is. The testimony about the man continues until about 4:00 pm when the judge finally decides that he has heard enough and wants to hear from the man himself who had come in at about 3:30 and was once again in the courtroom.

Aaron is called to the testimony stand to ask questions and talk to the judge about why the restrictions in the original court order should be lifted and how he has changed in the past seven months since the kidnapping and the original need for the restrictions.

The judge finally has all the information he wants to make his decision and lets the man go back sit down with his brother. He says, "Aaron Hotchner, please rise. Mr. Hotchner, when this court first granted custodial guardianship of you to your brother, you were not walking, talking, eating or able to do anything for yourself. Whether by choice or not is irrelevant, the fact is you did not do anything to constitute your abilities to function as a normal adult. It is for this reason that the guardianship was made. I have seen remarkable progress in the seven months since that time however; I have not seen enough to vacate the guardianship. Your brother will continue to control your finances, your body and all that constitutes your needs. The request is to reduce some of the restrictions that have been placed on you because of the order and not just in the personal sectors. You have been able to return to work with restrictions that your boss wants to have removed because he believes that you can handle the more dangerous aspects of your job. I am not fully convinced of that but I am going to lessen some of those restrictions. You may begin to once again carry a weapon for work and work only but only if you can pass the firearms test at the highest level. You may begin to drive a vehicle again if another licensed driver is with you and only during daylight hours. You may work up to 10 hours per day, but no more than that even when you are in the field, which I will also allow at this time. That is all of relaxation of restrictions that I will make at this time. I expect to see you again in six months in this courtroom at which time I hope there will be even more improvement in your actions, attitudes and abilities. Case closed."

Aaron continues to stand there after listening to what the judge said. He was happy and unhappy at the same time but Sean came up to his side and gave him a hug with Spencer hugging him on the other side. The rest of the team and the director of the agency came up and congratulated on the reduction of restrictions and the director says that he hopes to have his full functioning agent back to work soon. The group begins to head out as Aaron gets into his stroller and Sean gives him another bottle. The group decides to go out and celebrate and head to the nearest family restaurant that had live music. Sean wasn't so sure that he and Aaron should go since Aaron had a long day and was kind of in a funk and really should just go home and have some dinner and an early bed time.

Aaron says, "Sean I really want to celebrate please. Let's go out for a while." Sean looks at him.

"The moment you begin to whine, we go home."

"I'll try not to whine."

The group was happy to see the men come and for several hours everybody had fun eating, dancing and talking. Aaron did not whine but after a while Spencer did start to and actually climbed into the booth and leaned up next to Sean to use him as a pillow while he fell asleep. He couldn't do it against momma; she was dancing with Aaron to some romantic slow song. While Brian and Emily were dancing too secretly celebrating their own little surprise, when the doctor said the rabbit died. They were planning a Christmas wedding. Hayley was there as well with Paul, one of her security detail that she has fallen in love with and will be marrying in about three weeks. Jack is already asleep in another booth. Morgan has found a woman in the restaurant to dance with and is enjoying her company for the night. Penelope and Kevin were lost in each other's arms as were JJ and Will. Henry was sleeping with Jack in the booth. Rossi just sat at the main table next to the booth that the boys were sleeping in and saw Sean at the end with Spencer sleeping on him.

He says, don't you want to be out there dancing like any other young man?"

"No, I am fine right now just watching my brother enjoy himself. He didn't get everything he wanted but he got enough for now and we just have to keep improving so that he can regain full control over his life."

"I don't think he wants that anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I have known Aaron a long time and believe me control is a great of what he is and yet right now he has so little but I have never seen him happier than he is right now. Don't lessen what you are to him or to the one sleeping on you."

"Well, this one, well I am only temporary daddy to him. The real one is out there dancing. I have to get him back to being daddy. He has two boys to take care of."

"It looks like I am just an uncle."

Sean raises his glass to David's and says, "Here's to Uncles." David nods and glasses clink.


	37. The Christmas Wedding

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Seven.**

Christmas Eve

He wakes up in a bed rather than at home in his crib and at first forgot where he was, then remembered that they were back in the hometown to go to Brian and Emily's wedding that night. He crawls out of the bed and goes downstairs to see if anyone else is up so that he can be changed, he is not very comfortable. He sees Sean in the dining room fixing the table for breakfast.

"Hi Sean."

"Hi Spencer, you're up early."

"Can you change me, my bum is itchy." Sean smiles and chuckles at the innocence of this remark.

"Sure let's go back up stairs." Upstairs, Sean changes and dresses the man in a pair of pants and a t-shirt with a sweater. They go back downstairs and Sean finished making pancakes while Spencer finished setting the table. When the blueberry pancakes were ready, Sean had Spencer sit and he put a bib on the sitting man and served him up a pile of cakes and syrup.

"Why do I always have to wear a bib, you make me feel like a baby when I wear one. I'm not in toddler mode right now and I don't make that big of a mess."

"I know that Spencer."

Momma comes in and says, "If that was true than why do we have a load of bibs to wash every few days."

"Because Aaron continues to spill his food when he eats." Says Spencer.

"Only I spill my food? " Says Aaron, walking in the door as he goes to the man and dabs at the dribble of syrup on the bib Spencer was wearing.

Spencer looks down and says, "Syrups are messy." He finishes his meal and the bib is taken off. As he gets up, he asks, "Are you going to make me wear a bib at the wedding tonight?"

A male voice answers, "Only if you keep whining."

"I'm not whining." When he turns and sees three firm adult faces looking at him. He gulps and says, "I think I'll go play in the living room.

Sean and Aaron sit for breakfast while Angie goes and takes a long, hot, luxuriously relaxing bath. Aaron is eating limited adult foods now and does chew food if it is not cooked too hard or long and it is not too tough. But he doesn't usually like to eat with people other than family because he does spill from his utensil every so often. His fingers like to shake sometimes. The doctors can't explain why and haven't found a neurological cause for it so it is another sign of the still troubled mental state of our gentle sweet man.

It has been three months since the last courthouse visit and three months before he sees the judge again. There has been improvement but our man is still mentally not strong enough to give some of the things that can still define him as incapable to do things. He is still in diapers, not weaned from the bottle and when at home feels most secure in his crib. At work, it is different. He has his weapons qualification and can carry one weapon with him. He feels naked however without his second gun at his ankle, but the judge only allowed one weapon. He goes in the field and works just as hard as ever he did before the kidnapping. The only difference is that he can only work ten hours in a twenty four period and that he needs to have his diaper changed and someone to remind him to eat. Otherwise he doesn't eat when he is around people while working. He goes daily on walks and runs to build up the strength in his legs and does physical therapy still for his chewing and eating abilities.

Tonight is the night that Brian and Emily decide to marry while they will be heading to a honeymoon for a few days before going to D. C. for the Ambassador's New Years Eve Reception for the newlyweds. Her parents are ambassadors and have a lot of political and diplomatic friends that Emily had known or met while growing up and would love to congratulate her on the marriage. When Brian was elected mayor of hometown in November, she has now entered small town politics which is actually quite different from the politics that she grew up with. It will be interesting for them.

The wedding will take place at the Catholic Church in town and many of the townspeople will be there as well as a few of the closest of Emily's family and friends. They will meet most of her side at the Ambassador's Reception. Her team and other agents will be at the wedding tonight.

At the Hotchner house, Angie had finished her bath and was rolling her hair while dressed in a silk and lace peignoir set that she would wear until the wedding. Emily was staying with them and was already prepared in that way and JJ and Penelope were also dressed like as was Emily's maid of honor, a friend of many years by the name of Sandy. Angie had bought all the women the peignoirs in order to feel like a woman today while they get ready for one of the woman's nuptials. Angie throws the men out and they head over to Brian's to see if they can help out the groom. It is definitely a different type of situation. Sean remembered to bring the men's suits for the wedding as well as a full days worth of food and diapers for his boys.

When Angie calls Sean in the early afternoon about how the boys were doing, he sounded frustrated because Aaron won't eat and Sean is talking up a storm about weddings and their statistics and the longevity of marriage and driving everyone else crazy. He can't seem to stay still and keeps moving all over the house being the excited young man that he commonly can be. Sean understands Spencer well since he is also can be an excited young man but since Spencer got inundated with that his excitability has just one hundred times more and he has energy until all of sudden he doesn't. Which is always a relief to the other adults around because then he takes a nap. Today he winds down at around 3pm sitting on Brian's sofa curled up next to Aaron with his head on Aaron's lap. Aaron stroked the man boy's hair and watched while he slept with his thumb in his mouth. Sean looks at the picture and is pleased except that Aaron hasn't eaten any lunch and really should be napping himself. The man refuses to take a bottle at Brian's place and is uncertain of his ability to feed himself well enough to do so and won't let Sean feed him. He just sits there and looks more and more tired until finally his head nods off and he falls asleep on the sofa.

When Aaron wakes up at around 5 pm, he discovers himself lying flat on the sofa with his head and upper body on Sean's lap who had been stroking his head and an errant lock of hair off his forehead. Spencer was up and having dinner on the coffee table next to the sofa with his bib on. Sean had a bib on Aaron and was just waiting for him to wake up. He had two bottles and some homemade soft food for him. Aaron starts to get up and says "No, I am not eating here."

Brian comes over and bends down next to the sofa and places his hand on Aaron's chest. The men look at each other. Brian says, "Aaron, I understand your reluctance to eat here. You still have difficulties, but this is my wedding day and I want you standing with me at the altar and you can't do that if you're faint with hunger. Eat or you can't come to the wedding and that would be a big disappointment to me and to Emily. If it wasn't for you we would not have met." Once again, Aaron feels that he has no control over what he can and cannot do. He lies back down and opens his mouth for the bottle that Sean puts in his mouth. An hour later, the men begin to dress for the wedding which takes place at 7 pm.

At the Hotchner house, the ladies have been doing a day of spa treatments and relaxation until they begin to dress for the wedding themselves, Emily was dressed in a Vera Wang dress from the fall 2008 collection called Calla lily with a sheath and mermaid train, lace and satin, and one shoulder bare with a swathe of flowers adorning the other shoulder. The dress is in a beautiful white and shows off her beautiful skin and ebony hair to perfection. On her upswept hair she wears a veil of fingertip length and is hand stitched lace in white. She carries a bouquet of white roses and calla lilies to match those on her dress. Her attendants are in lavender sheaths which are simple but elegant in their strength next to the beautiful bride. Her mother had arrived earlier and with the women enjoyed the day of spa pampering. She is dressed in an elegant suit of oyster gray and when her father arrives in his black tuxedo to escort his daughter to the church, they were ready. Emily had a long elegant lavender cloak made to cover her and dress as they take the limousine to the church.

The church was decorated in white roses, calla lilies and lavender silk ribbon. When Emily got to the church, the men had arrived fifteen minutes earlier and were prepared to be at the altar waiting for her and Father Thomas. As the wedding march begins and the bride walks down the aisle to her groom while being escorted by her father, she has only eyes for him. Next to him are his brother Gary and friends, including her boss Aaron, who sees the beautiful woman but is actually more interested in a woman sitting in the audience watching him and surrounded by the other members of his family and team. Brian does not take his eyes off the radiant lady coming toward him.

At the reception later, our team enjoys themselves well by dancing until the early morning when the bride and groom finally leave for the few days of honeymoon in New York City before heading back to D. C. for the Ambassador's reception after which they plan to spend two weeks cruising through the south pacific, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. When Emily threw the bouquet, Angie did not try to catch it, so Penelope did and gave it to her. Angie said that it doesn't work that way. Aaron took her back to the dance floor for once last dance before they head back to the house and go to bed. Spencer, Sean and Derek would come to the house an hour later, while David finally showed up and stayed for awhile to congratulate the couple. He had a very busy and long day somewhere else doing something for Angie. (Angie would play Mrs. Santa Claus to seven different children's hospital and long term facilities in New York. This year they had Santa Claus instead since the Mrs. is not seeing very well and didn't feel she could do the job properly.)

The next morning, our team heads home to D. C. early since they wanted to get there before dark. The van will hold Sean, Aaron, Angie, Spencer, David, Derek and Penelope. JJ and Will came with Henry in their own car. At the van, our agents get into the back sofa, Spencer got harnessed into his car seat and just as Aaron was going to get into his seat he turned and looked at Sean.

He asks, "Sean, would you let me drive?" Even though the judge allows Aaron to drive during the day and he does when he is on a case, Sean has never allowed him to drive the van. The men look at each other as the others looks at this interaction of big and little brother dynamics. Sean places the keys in Aaron's hands and gets into the van and sits in his brother's normal seat but he uses the regular seatbelt. The men clasp hands before Aaron closes the door and then assists Angie into her seat since its morning and she can't see through the fogginess of her corneas. He gets into the driver's seat and they head home. Several hours later they stop for lunch and when they get back into the van, Sean drives while Aaron is harnessed into his regular seat. They had talked about it and agreed that a few hours of driving was enough. Aaron still gets tired easily from too much exertion or repetitive actions. He is asleep in his car seat when they get back to the new apartment which the family had moved into a few weeks earlier. The rest of the group gets out and Penelope and Derek go to their vehicles which are in the parking lot and head to their own homes, while Sean gets out the stroller and puts Aaron in to take in, Angie pushes the stroller while Sean carries the sleeping Spencer into the house and David follows up in the rear with their bags.

In the apartment, Sean takes Spencer to the nursery where his and Aaron's cribs are kept as well as the changing table which is where he takes Spencer first and the boy wakes up while being cleaned.

"Hello sleepyhead."

"Are we home?"

"Yeah, we're home."

"Good, can I something to eat?"

"When I finish changing you and Aaron, we'll get a snack."

Spencer gets down off the table and looks for mommy, while Sean goes back to the find the stroller empty. He looks around and finds Aaron in the playroom and goes to encourage the man to come to the nursery to get cleaned up. The men go together to the nursery,

What was so interesting in the playroom that Aaron was looking at? A Christmas tree, the family had agreed not to give gifts to each other because they are actually adults and just don't feel up to it. If this was really the case than why are there a tree and many gifts under and surrounding that tree, explain that. When they had left for the wedding two days ago, there were no gifts and no tree.

Ding Dong, goes the doorbell.

At the door is Derek Morgan and he comes in and said that there was a note on his door at home that told him to come back to the Hotchners. Shortly after he arrives, Penelope also shows up. She got the same not as Derek. The Hotchner family and guests sit down for a dinner that Sean has cooked up of Pork Rib Tips and scrumptious sides, the food was tender and even Aaron was able to enjoy the meal. After dinner they went to the playroom and looked at the Christmas tree and nobody takes responsibility for putting it there or the gifts around it, but Spencer is very excited when he notices the exceptionally big box and it has his name on it.

The adults actually blame David because he spent most of the day before not in hometown, but he has proof that he was in New York at the different places that Angie sent him to. Spencer bounces around asking, "Can we open 'em? Can we open 'em????" He was like a Mexican jumping bean and couldn't sit down for the excitement in opening Christmas gifts. Our toddler Spencer has entered the house. Aaron tells him to calm down and that they will open the gifts when they have been handed out not as little children but as grown adults. Spencer was disappointed that he couldn't just go and rip open the big box, but sat down next to Aaron in the double rocker. Angie sat in the single rocker and the others either brought in a chair from another room or sat on the big blocks or the floor of the playroom. Sean got up and started handing out gifts to each of the adults that were sitting there. It seems that there was a least three gifts for each person, including Derek and Penelope. All of the gifts were addressed to the individual and was signed from Santa Claus. The handwriting did not look familiar so they couldn't tell who could have done this.

Spencer was so excited because he got three gifts in front of him plus the big box. The big box however is not from Santa Claus. That tag says Merry Christmas Spencer from Mommy. Spencer had already received and opened gifts from his mother and father from Vegas so he knows it isn't from them. Aaron looks at the box and then at Angie's and whispers across to her. "You didn't get him that thing that you had talked about several months ago." She just smiles at him. "Didn't I say he didn't need it?" She whispers back, "Who ever said anything about need?" Aaron groans. Spencer is so excited that he didn't hear any of this conversation between mommy and Aaron.

They began to open their gifts from Santa Claus, there were pieces of jewelry, watches, wallets, clothes and gadgetry. The only gift left was the big box to Spencer from Mommy and he ran to the big box with everyone watching him. He goes around the box in trying to figure out how to open it, Penelope got up and tried to help him and between the two of them they figured out that they needed to unclasp some hooks from the floor and lift the box. Spencer squeals when he sees the adult size rocking horse underneath. It was white with many colored ribbons wrapped around the brown leather saddle that hugged the back of the animal which looked almost real being covered with suede cloth with beautiful brown eyes and a real bit and bridle in its mouth. The cutest thing was the painted purple butterfly on its backside, just like the one on Spencer's backside. The tail was made of acrylic hair and flowed behind the animal which was set on a set of double rockers like a rocking chair. Spencer climbed on right away and started to rock away screaming, "Hi ho Silver away."

Angie and Aaron look at each other and remember another way of saying hi ho Silver and they watch their little boy play. They reach across the short distance between chairs and clasp hands. He begins to play with the fingers of her hand and kisses each finger and when he returns the hand to her, a ring is on the fourth finger, a ring of diamonds surrounding a perfect pearl. She looks at it and says, "May 7th okay for you?"

"Why that day?"

"Kathy's birthday."

"Perfect, at hometown in the garden you began to create?"

"Absolutely." She leans over and he leans over to lock lips.

"I thought you didn't want me unless I could eat surf and turf with you."

"I have learned that I want you any way I can get you."

Spencer stops rocking as he watches the two kiss and Angie reaches around Aaron's shoulders with a twinkling hand. He gets off the horse and walks over to the couple who does not see him and don't know he is there until he grabs her hand.

She says, "What the…?" as they break apart.

Spencer looks at her and says, "Looks like you got a special gift too. What day are you choosing?"

"May 7th."

"Can I give you away?"

"No, that is David's job." He pouts but accepts what she says. He looks at Aaron and the men smile at each other.


	38. Lost Little Boy

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Eight.**

In the next several months, problems begin to occur for different people. First, the restaurant in Hong Kong in having some management issues and William and Sean discuss about what to do about it and although Aaron has no authority in the business right now, they talk with him about the issues. Because William is a widower with four young children, it really would not be prudent for him to go there. Sean is the best brother to send to handle the situation but he really should not leave Aaron alone since he is also responsible for the man. The next court date is eight weeks away and although Aaron has improved greatly since the last date, he still has problems and should not be alone. Sean needs to go however so they give temporary custody of Aaron to his fiancée, Angie. So Sean leaves for Hong Kong to deal with the management.

Before Sean left, Spencer gave a seminar at Georgetown on Using Statistics in Profiling the Psyche of Serial Killers and had to wait when he was finished giving the seminar because momma was talking to her current professor of the class she was taking for her master's degree in medieval literature. Because of her failing eyesight, she only takes one course a semester and likes to have someone going with her when she goes to class. He goes to get her and meets Dr. Karen Somerset, momma's current professor and friend of a few years. Dr. Somerset is a lot like our young Dr. Reid; being shy, socially awkward and a person who had a lot of responsibility at a young age. She had been caring for her brother since her parents had died twelve years ago. Her brother passed away eight months earlier from complications to his cerebral palsy. He was diaper-dependant and wheelchair bound most of his life. The young professors start to date once a week as momma won't let Spencer go out on work nights. He needs plenty of sleep to stay out of toddler mode.

About a month after Sean left, momma began to keep Spencer with her or make sure that he is with someone he knows since he could break down at any time. He is currently taking a short break from case work with the BAU because he is in toddler mode and there doesn't seem to be any way to get him out of it. It began two weeks earlier when the phone rang at home.

Angie answers, "Hello."

"Hello may I please speak to Dr. Reid. This is the Dr. Jesson of the Bennington Sanitarium, I work with his mother and there has been an incident involving her."

"If you will hold, I will get Spencer." She goes to the nursery and gently goes to wake her sleeping son. "Spencer, baby, wake up there is a telephone call for you."

The man opens his eyes and rubs them. He says, "A telephone call?"

"Yes, sweetie, it is from Nevada at your mother's sanitarium." He sits up with a jolt and reaches out to her and she takes him out of his crib. "Take the phone in the office." He runs to the office in his purple sleeper; his covered feet silently going over the floor. Angie goes over to where Aaron is sleeping and wakes him up as well.

He asks, "What is it?"

"Spencer has a call from his mother's sanitarium in Nevada. I sent him to the office phone." He reaches out to her and she takes him out of his crib and he follows in Spencer's footsteps in his green sleeper. She walks into the office and Spencer has the phone on speaker talking to Dr. Jesson. Another patient at the hospital at a bad psychotic episode and ran to Spencer's mother and punched her over and over again before they were able to get the patient off of Mrs. Reid she was unconscious and has been taken to the emergency room of the local hospital. The hospital hasn't given them any details of her condition yet but they felt that as her nearest relative he needed to know.

"Thank you, I will get back to you about what I am going to do." says Spencer. He disconnects the call.

"What do you want to do sweetheart?"

"I don't know, I mean I know that I have no legal ties with her anymore but she is my mother and the woman who raised me. What should I do, mommy?" Aaron and Angie look at one another and clasp hands.

Aaron says, "We will go to Nevada and check on Diana." Spencer looks at the two with stricken eyes and goes to them and sits on Aaron's lap and buries his face into the man's shoulder. Angie went online and got three tickets to Vegas which would have them leave in about six hours. She passed by her boys in the chair and goes to pack three go bags and a separate diaper with food bag for her boys. After packing, she goes back to the office and the boys are not there and she goes to look in the nursery and the playroom, where she finds them. Aaron is rocking Spencer in the rocking chair holding the boy close to his chest while he drank a bottle of whole milk. She goes to her men and caresses the forehead of both.

"We ready to go."

She nods and says, "We just need to get you both changed and dressed and you need to eat. I see that you are feeding him and was the bottle his idea or yours?"

"It was his, he thought it might be comforting, that's why I chose whole milk for him. From experience, I know that it is one of the most comforting of drinks." She kisses him and then the top of Spencer's head. After finishing the bottle, Aaron takes Spencer back to the nursery and changes his diaper and dresses him in a pair of khaki pants, lt. blue button down shirt and a cardigan sweater. He put on his mismatched socks and goes to eat the sandwich that momma made for him. When Spencer left, Angie then changed and dressed Aaron and he got fed as well.

Our little family arrives in Las Vegas many hours later and head to the hotel first because the hospital visiting hours are not for another hour. Momma changes and cleans up both her men and they head out to the hospital and find out what happened to Diana. It seems the other patient was mad at her for something and began to punch her repeatedly in the chest and head. Diana suffered heart failure and they had to revive her but they are not giving her much hope that she will come out of the coma that she has gone into. Spencer sobs when he hears this and asks, "Can I see her?"

He is given permission but to not bother her while she is lying there. The doctors look at the young man in wonder. He seems so much younger than they thought he was. Our group goes into the ICU room that Diana is in. Spencer goes to the side of the bed and grabs hold of her hand as he looks at the pale face on the pillow and with his other hand he sweeps her hair trying not to touch the bruises and bandages around her body. He says, "Mom, you can wake up now. It's me Spencer. Wake up mom." His face crumples in pain as tears roll down his cheeks. Aaron and Angie stand behind and watch as their young man becomes younger and more vulnerable. Spencer looks at his mom and turns around to clasp his daddy Aaron's waist while he buries his face into his suit jacket. Mommy strokes his hair and he looks at her crying.

He turns back to the woman on the bed and bends down to cry on her chest and says, "Wake up mom please wake up." The woman on the bed just lies there still and shows no reaction to her son's anguish. He loves her but he can't take care of her anymore and knows that she cannot take care of him. Angie leaves the room and lets her son stay with his mother for as long as wants to. In the waiting room, Mr. Reid is waiting and sees her. He now knows that Spencer is in with his mother and Angie motions for him to join his son. As he enters the room, he sees Spencer crying on her chest and Aaron is behind him with his hands at his waist as if supporting him to stand there. Mr. Reid goes over and stands beside Aaron, who looks at him and moves back so the Mr. Reid can stand beside the boy. He strokes Spencer's hair and the boy looks up to see him standing there and cries even louder as he hugs his biological father. They stand there looking at the woman on the bed trying to will her to live and come back to them. Aaron goes to sit in a chair in the corner and watch over Spencer.

An hour later, everyone is actually in the day room where they sit and pray and wonder about the woman in the room. Spencer is no longer crying but sits there feeling lost and yet he looks up and sees his mommy and daddy and knows that he is not lost but is losing a string to his past. He stops thinking and just lets his body's instincts take over and those are the same instincts that are controlled and influenced by the drug in his cells. He curls up on a double chair and starts to suck his thumb. Mommy comes over and moves him to lay down in her arms where she begins to rock and hum. Aaron brings a bottle for him which he begins to drink greedily. Mr. Reid is finally seeing the effects of the drug that he had been told about and now completely understands why the man needs to have someone take care of him. Aaron sits down on the same double chair as Angie and Spencer with Spencer's bottom half over him. Angie remembers this scene from the year before except the men had been reversed and they were in a SUV. She and Aaron clasp hands while they feed their little boy.

Spencer finishes the bottle and falls asleep in their arms. Mr. Reid comes nearer and the three begin to talk about the boy and what he does and if Mr. Reid should still be in his life at all. He will always care about his son but obviously Spencer needs more that what he can provide. Angie asks Mr. Reid if he would like to hold him for while he is sleeping. The man in uncertain that he can but was willing to try. Angie and Aaron lift the top half of the boy so that she can get up and Mr. Reid sits down after which they set the boy back down to lie in the man's arms. Spencer had his thumb in his mouth again and curled up closer to his chest. Aaron moves the boy's bottom half off him and the couple go to find a place where they can change his diaper and get something to eat. They know that Spencer will be safe in Mr. Reid's arms.

An hour later, the couple comes back to the scene that they had left. Aaron had been changed and then fed and given a bottle and Angie ate a cheeseburger. Mr. Reid looks relieved to finally see them again. It seems Spencer is getting heavy and starting to squirm once in a while. Angie goes to pick up the boy from the man's arms and takes him to the same place that they found to change Aaron's diaper. She placed him on the exam table and proceeded to remove his wet and dirty diaper. Aaron had brought the diaper bag and then left to go back to the day room. Spencer wakes up while he is being changed by mommy and reaches to her.

He asks, "Is my other mother okay still?"

"She still alive and in a coma, I am more worried about you. How do you feel?"

"Scared mommy, what happens if she dies? What happens to me?"

"You will be with me and Daddy, your father wants to still be a part of your life in at least knowing that you are safe and happy. Your mother will be a part of your life in your memories and your heart and she will watch you mature and live in another plane of life."

"Do you really believe that there are other planes of life?"

"There is no true quantifiable proof of it but sometimes you must go outside the box and what is quantifiable to just believe in your ideas and fantasies."

"I don't understand."

"Of course not, but that's okay you don't have to understand everything in life." She finishes dressing him and they go back to the day room. Spencer goes to the room with Diana lying in the bed and sat by her bedside watching the machines help her breathe and monitor her vital signs. He brought a book to read to her and it is one of Angie's that he had never read before and does not remember his mother reading it to him. For more than an hour, he would read and there would be no response.

SCREEEEEE! SCREEEEE!

Spencer jumps as the monitors on Diana's machines began to scream, he looks as she stops breathing and medical personnel come running in, he gets pushed back and watches as the people try to stop the machines and bring the woman back. Her heart stops and they begin heart massage to get it going again and then her left lung collapses and there is no brain activity registered. After fifteen minutes of trying to revive her they call her death for 10:38 pm. They cover her face in a sheet and leave the room. Angie and Aaron had been kept out during this time and Spencer was not able to leave so he watched the entire time as they tried to save his mom's life and yet he sees her die in front of his eyes. He starts to cry and moans to see her die. He doesn't want her to die but he can't stop it. All of a sudden momma was in front of him blocking his view of the woman on the bed and she placed her hands on each side of his face to make sure he looks only at her. When she sees his eyes clearly, she takes him and puts his face into her shoulder and started to rock him while standing there. He cried and said, "I couldn't stop it, she died as I watched. She died when I held her hand. She died. Mommy, my mom's dead." She continues to hold and rock the man as she leads him out of the room.

She leads him down to the day room and sits down and sits him down beside her and he lies back into her arms and cries into her chest. They just sit there for quite some time until Spencer falls asleep and starts to hiccup slightly from crying so much. In the meantime, Mr. Reid and Aaron were talking to the doctor and find out what happened. They will have to do an autopsy to find out exactly what happened. Aaron come over and looks at them and says, "We should head to the hotel and get some rest. We can talk more with Mr. Reid tomorrow about what to do. He bends down and picks up Spencer and put him in a wheelchair to take out to the door, where he calls for a cab.

Back at their room, momma changed and then dressed Spencer into his sleeper and put him into bed. She then took care of Aaron and they go to bed together. In the morning, she wakes up to someone calling mommy and gets up to go to her little boy. When she gets to his side, he finds her and grabs her in desperation and great need. She climbs into the bed and puts him on her lap on the bed and starts to rock him. Aaron watches and gets out two bottles from the refrigerator and he gave one to Angie for Spencer and kept one for himself. He got in the bed next to her and drank his bottle while watching Spencer drank his. The two men look at each other while they suckle and both snuggle closer to mommy.

Later that day, Aaron and Angie met with Mr. Reid at the funeral home with Spencer. The people set up a time for a memorial for the woman and a funeral later in the week. Spencer went with Mr. Reid to his place to look for addresses that he had of former friends and family of Diana Reid. Angie and Aaron went to her room at the sanitarium. They did not want Spencer to see her things until he is more stable. With the Doctor, they learn of her desires and who is the executor of her will. Because Angie is Spencer's legal guardian and he is the executor of the will, Angie is allowed to make decisions for him. She begins by having all of Diana's things boxed up and sent to the hometown house except for her books and photographs, which are sent to the apartment in D. C. Anything else will be done at a later date. She is only concerned about making sure that Spencer does not come to the sanitarium.

For the next month, our little boy wakes up in his crib crying and doesn't want to read or do anything that would remind him of what he did with his mother. But soon he begins to heal and the hole that is left by Diana's death starts to fill. He has been dating Dr. Somerset a few days a week and she has been helping to bring the man back out of the toddler mode that he has sunk himself into. He tries to keep himself in good graces with mommy and with Aaron, but little boys don't always do what they are supposed to do. (We know how trustworthy Aaron is, we just have to remember him going down into the dungeon and stealing the van) Is Spencer any better? Usually his discipline was for tantrums about not letting people change him or take care of him when he needed it. So what can our little boy do that really upsets people exceedingly?

He starts to go back to work and the team goes on a case to Wisconsin, this winter in the national forest in the center of the state, a large tree fell over and under the tree wrapped in the trunks was the bodies of four young teenagers. The teens look like they had been there for years but testing discovered that they had only been there for three months. Our team is requested to help them discover who would have done this and how. Angie stays home while she has packed bags for her men to take with them. David will be changing diapers and keeping them clean and dry and making sure they are well fed. Aaron is the boss when working but when he is not on the job; David is the boss of both Aaron and Spencer. Neither man is going to be happy when he realizes how mad that this boss can get.

During the case, Aaron and David are looking into the talking to the parent of the teens, while Morgan and Reid go to the crime scene. JJ and Emily's replacement, Donna Cook, are looking into the details of the crimes with the police chief, while Garcia was checking if other reports of missing children or other crimes similar are found. While at the scene of the tree which had fallen and was next to the national forest, our agents look around and look to how the teens were actually buried under an old living tree. Reid kept walking farther and farther away from the scene following a stream of brushed snow that looks suspicious and interesting at the same time. The snow was well packed in the area and he left no footsteps behind him. No one was watching where he was going as they were listening to what Morgan was saying about what he sees. When he looks up to ask Reid his impressions and doesn't see him, he asks around. The deputies and Morgan look around and Reid is nowhere to found in the area. The call out and Reid has wandered so far away that he does not hear them and when he finally realizes how far into the forest he has come, he discovers himself to be completely lost. He gets out his cell phone and finds no bars which mean no signal and he calls out to see if someone might be just at the edge of where he can see. He receives no answers to his calls.

Morgan receives no answer to his calling out and the people in the area begin to search for the missing agent. Morgan tries to find the way the man went by following the boot prints left by his steps but could not find the path. He did not hear what Spencer had said about what he was following.

Reid tries to do a u-turn and walk back to where he came from, however since it was not in a linear path, there is no way that he really knows from which way he came and the snow is so packed that he is unable to tell where his boot prints are in the snow. He feels completely lost and alone. He picks a path through the bare trees and to show that he has been there, he places a thread from his scarf on an empty branch. He does not realize that he is walking further into the forest and away from the scene, but just walks and leaves threads along the way.

Meanwhile, Morgan calls in to let Hotch and Rossi know that he has lost Reid, who went walking in the forest. Great concern is felt but the men believe that Reid will find his way back and do continue to work on a profile with the information they have. They do find that it really isn't too difficult and have one in just a few hours. The day in getting dark and Reid is still missing. He hasn't been changed since lunch and it is near dinner, while he is walking through the trees he becomes more disoriented and frightened. The trees start to move from the wind picking up and making strange shapes into the ground. Reid is struggling not to go into toddler mode because in his mind he knows that he needs to a functioning adult in order to find his way out of there. He feels lucky when he finally comes to a rutted pathway in the forest and begins to walk along it hoping it would lead to a road.

Morgan in the meantime has not left the scene and continues to call out and the group there creates a grid to search for the missing man. Rossi and Hotch arrive to talk to Morgan about what happened. Hotch has Garcia look up the forest maps and tell them what is around the area and help them find the best way to find Reid. He also has her check Reid's cell phone and gets no signal from it which means that she cannot find it. Rossi tells Morgan that he will be back to help in the search but he was taking Aaron to the motel and will check on the ladies. Aaron protests that he is not going back to the motel as long as Reid is out there.

David says, "You have put in your ten hours today, Aaron. Legally I cannot permit you to stay and search for Reid. He is missing from a case scene which means on the job right now. You cannot work more than ten hours. Until the judge changes the ruling and gives you back control of your life, you are limited and under my supervision personally. The only time you are the boss is in the ten hours you are working, that time is up for today. You are going back to the motel, being changed, fed and possibly even put to bed. Get in the SUV now Aaron."

Hotch answers, "No Dave, as long as Spencer is out there. I cannot leave the scene and my responsibilities to him and the team."

"Your responsibilities ended twenty minutes ago. They are now mine, go get in the vehicle."

"Dave, please do not do this to me. I am not a baby right now and I don't need to be treated like one. Spencer needs me here and I need to help find him."

"I have to disagree, you need to do what you are told and until the courts say differently, you are legally still a baby and have to be treated as such. I am giving you the chance to go back to motel looking like a man but that is about to change Aaron." Aaron scowls and looks angry at the situation but gets in the car. Rossi tells Morgan and the men head to the motel.

At the motel, David does change a dirty diaper, feed solid food and a bottle to Aaron and put his night time sleeper on although he did not say he had to sleep yet. David then heads back to the scene with hot coffee and food for the searchers, trusting Aaron will stay at the motel.

Spencer is getting more scared and toddler mode as the night falls. He has a wet and itchy bottom, a rumbling tummy and fright of the dark and the forest looks terrifying. He finds a hollow style tree and crawls in for the night because that they are going to search and find him at night. He hopes he will be alive still in the morning as he tries to go to sleep in the tree. It is difficult because he is crying and sucking his thumb at the same time thinking Mommy? Daddy? Anybody?


	39. I am Not a Baby

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Thirty-Nine. I am not a baby**

Aaron is angrily left at the motel as David heads back to help search for Reid. He has been changed, fed and prepared for bed in a red blanket sleeper. To prevent him from changing his clothes the top zipper is locked into place. He begins to watch TV and sees a commercial about the product called 'Brickhouse Child locator' and remembers something that Angie has been adding to his pants pocket every time she dresses him. He gets up from the bed and goes to look at what he wore that day. There it is in his key chain, a Brickhouse child locator mini tag. Angie is keeping track of him as if he were a child. He wonders and continues to look at things that he wears everyday and there it is; the GPS locator attached to his wallet. He wonders if Angie puts these things on him, does she also have Spencer tagged and monitored? He goes to look in the diaper bag and finds the adult device for the mini tags. He needs to get this to David; it might be useful in finding Spencer out there. If he also has the GPS locator then Garcia might be able to locate him that way.

He decides to go himself to use it to find Spencer and puts clothes on over his sleeper and a pair of socks and his boots on. Putting his coat on, he got to the lobby and asks if there was a cab he could get. One arrives and takes him to the site.

Meanwhile Derek comes back to the motel with the ladies, who go to rest for a few hours and he decides to check on Aaron before going to his room and to get a few hours of rest and warm up. To his surprise the room is empty; he swears and goes to the lobby to ask if they saw him. He was told that the man left in a cab. Morgan called the cab company to find out where the cab took him. He swore again when told that it was to the crime site. He went back out to the site to find his missing boss.

Aaron arrives at the sight and is looking for the members of the team. David is walking down the edge of the forest calling out Spencer's name. Aaron walks in his footsteps looking for David and using the locator to find Spencer. So far, no blip, but continuing to try. He finally meets up with David, who is not happy to see him.

"Hotch, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be at the motel sleeping."

"I'm sorry David but I had to come. I was watching TV and a commercial came on about the child locator product from Brickhouse. Angie bought the product and uses it on Spencer and me. This is the adult monitor which is always in the diaper bag. My tag is always attached to my onesie that they make me wear and I know that she puts a tag on Spencer too. We also have GPS locators that she sends with us, mine is usually put in my pocket or jacket. Spencer's is always in his book bag. Garcia can find the Spencer through the GPS and you can locate him with the tag on the adult monitor."

"I'm glad about this but Aaron you should have called and we would have come to get it. You should have stayed at the motel."

"I can't sit or sleep in a motel room while Reid is out here lost, cold and scared. Even if he is not my responsibility, I am worried and I want to be here to help find him."

"Give me the monitor and just stay by my side."

A slight smile on Aaron's face as he gives the monitor to David who begins to sweep around for it as he calls Garcia, even though it is late night, she is still up, at the office and looking into how she can help find Spencer. David asks if she could find the GPS locator on Spencer and where they need to look. She hacks into the system and is able to find where he is. She gives David the general location and he begins to head that way with the locator device.

While she is searching, Derek arrives back looking for Aaron and follows the foot prints. He was glad to see him with David. When meeting up with the men, Aaron explains why he came and the devices on Spencer.

Morgan says, "I wish I had the known about the locators before, I would have had it with me and Spencer wouldn't be missing and you wouldn't be in trouble for being here." Aaron looks at him with irritation. "You need to get back to the hotel and get some sleep."

"I am not going back to the motel room until Spencer is found."

"Yes, you are. You are not any help for Spencer out here. You are tired and getting very cranky. You need some sleep so you can work tomorrow. Now that David has the locator and Garcia has found him on GPS, he can be found and you can go back to being the baby that you are."

"I am not a baby anymore."

"Legally you are, let's go back to the motel."

"No."

"Do I have to carry you to the car?"

"Do you really want to try?"

"I don't have to try, I have done it before and I can do it now." The men stand face to face. David has continued to search for Spencer knowing they would be able to handle the problem of Aaron being where he is not supposed to be. He gets excited when he sees a blip at the end of the device. He heads toward the blip leaving the others behind.

Aaron and Derek continue to argue about Aaron going back to the motel until Derek finally picks him fireman style and takes him back to the SUV. He opens the backdoor and puts the man inside and locks the door. He goes to the driver's side and starts to drive the car back to the motel. Aaron hits him on the side of the head and tells him to take him back to the site. Derek swerves the car and stops at the side of the road. He turns and reaches back to his boss who is sitting belligerently in the seat.

Derek says, "Put your seat belt on and stop acting like a spoiled child."

"I am only acting the way you want me to, as a tired and cranky baby."

"Well that is true and you are acting like a tired and cranky baby. Do you need help putting on your seatbelt?"

"No, I am not going to wear it." Derek closes his eyes in exasperation.

"Why are you being so stubborn and obstinate tonight?"

"Because I can and I want to be."

"Put your seatbelt on!"

Derek goes back to driving the car back to the motel. When they get there, he opens the back door to let Aaron out, whom stays on the other side of the seat. But Derek reaches with his hand for Aaron to grab and come out.

"Aaron, come on you need to get out of the car. I am tired of the tantrum. You are not helping your case."

"What do mean by my case?"

"You go back to court next week on whether you are capable of running your own life and making decisions for yourself. Every person in your life has been asked to write a report on how they view your actions and words for the final two weeks before that court date. What exactly do you want me to say about tonight's performance by you? It hasn't been very good." Aaron looks at him and realizes that his future and life is actually in the hands of his doctors, friends, co-workers, social worker and the reports that they write and testify to in court next week. With this realization, his tantrum ends and he comes out of the car to go into the motel and his room. Derek follows him into the room and takes Aaron's coat off and then removes his clothes. He is happy to see the sleeper still on and unlocks it so that he can check the man's diaper, which is soaked. Derek changes him and redresses him in the sleeper, which he locks closed again. He opens the bed up and Aaron gets in and lies down.

"Are you hungry, would you like a bottle before bed?"

"No, I am fine right now Derek. Thank you and good night." Derek covers him up and turns most of the lights off and sits in the chair next to the window. Aaron will have a babysitter now until David gets back to take care of the man. Although, Derek hoped to get some rest himself, he knows that will be impossible tonight as the baby might need him again.

Back in the forest, Spencer is having trouble trying to stay awake but cannot seem to fall asleep either. He hovers between the conscious realities. He imagines people yelling out his name then there is a loud beeping noise coming from his pockets. He hears thrashing through the trees and then all of a sudden there are arms around him pulling him out of the tree trunk and picking him up. He is carried to wherever by whoever and he doesn't care. He is so cold that he can't seem to function well. He tries to see the person carrying him but his eyes won't open. He tries to ask who it is, but is mouth won't open. He begin to cry and whimper when he realizes that he can't do these things and begins to become afraid of what is happening to him. He hears as if from far away, "Calm down, Spencer. You are okay now; we are going to get you warmed up. Relax baby, Uncle Dave will take care of you."

Then there seems to red and blue light all around and a loud siren, he is placed on a gurney and a warm saline solution is started by IV into his arm. They put an oxygen mask with warm air going into his lungs. He is completely enclosed in an electric blanket to warm him up externally. He is being taken to the nearest emergency room, which is the next town, ten miles away. After arriving, their main concern will be warming his hypothermic body to normal. The positive thing is that the exposure to the elements was not so long that he got frostbite.

The medical personnel were surprised when they removed his clothes to place a gown on him that he wore a cloth diaper. It was very wet and he was beginning to get a mild rash from sitting in the wetness for more than twelve hours. They put lotion on him and placed another cloth diaper on him and put him in the pediatric ward of the hospital since they did not believe that he was over eighteen, at this moment he looked extremely young. David did not dissuade them of the fact that he was man of twenty-nine. He thought it was best that he was best treated by the pediatrician of the hospital. He would learn to regret it when the social services agency gets involved as to why the young man was out there in the first place. They would not believe that the man was not actually mentally disabled and that the reason for the diapers was physical and not mental disability and that the young man had drug problem issues. After making sure that Spencer was in good hands, David knew that he had to leave the hospital until morning. He heads back to the motel.

When he enters the room that he got to share with Aaron and Spencer, he sees Derek sleeping in the chair by the window and Aaron sleeping in the bed. He goes over to wake Derek.

"Derek, go to your room and go to bed."

"Where is Spencer, is he all right?"

"He's is fine, but I wanted him to stay overnight at the hospital to make sure there is no frostbite or anything like that. He did get a slight rash from sitting in a wet diaper for so long but otherwise he should be okay. How was the trip back with Hotch?"

"I wish we had a car seat for when our boss gets tired and cranky." Rossi laughs at that.

"Go to bed now Morgan." Derek leaves the room for his own and David goes over to look at the sleeping boss man. He tucks the blankets around him more and goes to take a quick shower and dress to go to bed. When he got out of the bathroom, Aaron was sitting up and waiting for David to talk to him about Spencer.

"Spencer is in the hospital ten miles away, he does not have frostbite and it just appears to be mild hypothermia and a mild rash on his bottom. He is staying overnight and we should be able to get out tomorrow and finish up this case. He is okay."

"Toddler or adult mode."

"Currently, toddler, he is looking and acting very young."

"Will there be a problem from the hospital about that?"

"I don't think so, why should there be?"

"They may think he is disabled or wonder why he was out there and not with his guardian."

"He walked away from the person who was supposed to be keeping an eye on him and I wish we had known about the child locator tags earlier. It will never happen again now that we do know. I heard you gave Derek a bit of a problem. He wants us to get a car seat for you." Aaron looks at him with irritation.

"I didn't appreciate that you didn't allow me to be there to help find Spencer. I am actually not a baby anymore David. I am quite conscious of what I do and how to do it. I could have helped."

"You did help when you told us about the locator tags and if you hadn't come back and seen the commercial, you would not have thought of what those things are that Angie puts on you. So you did help. I do not like the fact that you brought it out to us instead of calling and waiting for one of us to pick it up. Obviously Derek probably missed you by a less than half an hour. He could have brought it back to me and Spencer would have been found just as easily. Your presence wasn't needed there tonight and if you had come to the hospital with me what would you have done differently. Nothing. I wanted you to get a full good night sleep because the rest of us were going to be tired from searching for Spencer. We need you in good form so we can completely solve this case and go home. I don't need you to be cranky or babyish later today. I need you to be the leader during your work hours. I hope that I get that because you are not going to be getting a good night's sleep." David goes over to the man with a warmed up bottle of fiber drink and sits next to him. Aaron looks at the bottle and lies down in David's arms to drink the bottle. David rocked and Aaron fell asleep in his arms suckling the bottle. David fell asleep with Aaron in his arms.

The next few days are very confusing to our people. David was angry with Aaron but chose not to punish him on that morning because he wanted to solve that damn case. Social Services got involved with Spencer and refused to permit the hospital to release him on his recognizance; they think that the man needed a guardian. That was when they finally had to contact Angie to come because she was the only one who could get her son released, since she has full guardianship over him. Social Services permit it as long as she is able to prove that what happened will not happen again. With the knowledge of the locator tags, they are led to believe that it won't.

Angie takes Spencer to the motel in the room that she has rented and cleans him up and then puts him back into bed. She and he would leave the following day, whether the case was solved or not. She was not happy with what has happened to him. She has not talked to Aaron or David about it, just to the hospital and social services personnel. Spencer tries to convince that he is okay and what happened was that he was checking on something for the case and just got lost. He still wanted to help solve the case but stopped trying to convince her to let him when he got a look at her upset face. He just stayed in bed and read some books and played his chess video game.

It is early afternoon on the second day when Angie goes to David's room to get Spencer's go bag while the others are out. They have a suspect and go to bring him in. She notices that the adult monitor device is not there and assumes that David has it to keep track of Aaron. She was surprised then to hear the door open and both men come in. When she looks up she sees two thunderclouds on the faces of both men. They haven't seen her yet and both men take off their coats and then Rossi says, "The wall Aaron."

"No, I don't think so David."

"I'm not in the mood for the excuse that you have of provoking that man unnecessarily."

"It wasn't unnecessarily. He killed four children that we know of and I wanted to hear him say it."

"You put yourself in his hands."

"That is right, I did put myself right in his hands so that he had them around my neck."

"Yeah and you have the bruises to prove it. Angie is going to have a fit when she sees them."

"Angie needs to focus on Spencer right now and not worry about me. I am quite capable of taking care of what I need to be doing. I am trying to prove that to people and you can't seem to see it. I am not a baby anymore and I will not be treated as one."

"Okay, I will relax enough to say that you don't to stand in the corner."

"Thank you."

"Why don't you just take off your pants so that I can change your diaper?" Both men jump when they hear a very angry woman speak.

"That's okay David, why don't go say hi to Spencer while I take care of Aaron?" The men look at her and see a face like a calm unruffled sea, which we know only hides the chaos and turmoil beneath the surface. It is like the calm before the storm. David goes out the door, but he instead goes down to the lobby and walks outside to the bar across the street. Aaron stands there and she walks over to where he is and begins to examine his bruised neck. She reaches up and kisses him hard and without compromise and breaks from the kiss to then slap him across the face. She says, "You put yourself in danger again for what, to show what, to prove what?"

"That I am capable of making my own choices and decisions."

"Well, if putting yourself in danger of being harmed or killed is the choices and decision you make, then you are not ready to be allowed to do that. You're supposed to make intelligent and good choices that keep you safe, secure and alive so that you can come back to the people who love you and need you. I realize that you want to make your own decisions and follow up with the responsibilities that you forsake for quite a while, but fighting with those who are currently your keepers does not show that you are ready to take on those responsibilities again. Actually, it shows the opposite, that you not fully and clearly thinking through and seeing the results of your actions. We see the judge in four days to determine whether you are capable and the last three days you have done everything wrong to prove that." She reaches up to the bruises again and says, "I hope these fade enough so the judge doesn't see them or otherwise he is going to ask how you got them and he won't be happy with the truth."

"I didn't think about that."

"That's right, you didn't think about the consequences of your actions today. You should be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior of today and two nights ago during Spencer's disappearance. I am not going to do it. Right now, David is still your temporary guardian until you come back to D. C. He will discipline you tonight and you will return tomorrow."

"MOMMY!" is heard from outside in the hall. Both Angie and Aaron look toward the door and smile. She tells him, "Go stand by the wall until David comes back." She kisses him and goes to the door.

"MOMMY!" is once again heard this time with sounding a little more teary.

In the hall Spencer is calling out walking up and down the hall in just his blanket sleeper which was all wet because of a leaking diaper. Angie sees the back of her little boy walking away from her. Another woman with a child in her arms and four others walking with her was walking down the hall and they meet.

"Is that your boy running down the hall."

"Yes, I was talking to a friend and left him napping, obviously he has woken up and is leaking."

"Well, I do understand, I have many children of my own. I am Janet."

"Angie and my boy is Spencer."

"Well Angie, if you need a break from him let me know, my oldest daughter can babysit, she has a lot of experience with children of all sizes."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

"We are in room 308."

"MOMMY!" is heard again. The mothers laugh mildly.

"I better get my wayward son." She walks down the hall to finally where he is and just as he was about to scream out again. He sees her and runs to her crying.

"Mommy, I was scared when I couldn't' find you." He wouldn't let go and she couldn't pick him up with the way he was hugging her.

"Baby, you need to let go so we can go to our room and change your diaper and give you a bath."

"A bath?" He looks at her in anticipation and she shakes her head yes. He lets go and they go back to the room where she strips her boy down and fills the tub with bubbles and toys and her big little boy.


	40. Flashbacks

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Forty. Flashbacks**

Sean opened the van door after he got the stroller out, Angie had unharnessed Spencer from his car seat and Spencer crawled out past Aaron to get out of the van. Aaron was not happy. He was harnessed in his car seat, his bottom was sore from having two spankings in four days; one from David and one just that morning from Sean. Sean unbuckled the harness and offered Aaron the ability to get out of the van by himself. Aaron looks at him angrily.

"Aaron, you can get out of the van as an adult and walk to the courtroom or I will lift you out and put you in the stroller and that is how you will go to the courtroom. Do you want to do it as an adult or a baby Aaron? What do you want the judge to see? It is a choice that you can make." Aaron with anger gets out of the car seat and stands tall on the floor of the garage. Angie put the diaper bags into the stroller and pushed it while Sean walked beside the boys into the courthouse and walked to the family courtroom three. Our group finds seats and sits while they listen to the witnesses and reports of Aaron for the past six months. While sitting there, Aaron thinks about what happened four days ago and then wonders what he should say about it.

_Flashback_

_After Angie left Aaron to check on the boy calling for mommy, he stripped himself, including taking off his diaper and took a quick shower. When he got out David was still not back and Aaron knew that he wasn't supposed to put on his own diaper, but did so anyway. He dressed himself and put his coat on and went outside. He also sees the bar across the way and goes in. He doesn't see David even though David is there and sees him come in. He is about to call him over when Aaron goes to the bar and orders a drink, since he looks like an adult of age the bartender does not card him. If he had he would have noticed that the card says that this man was not to be served alcohol because of a court order forbidding it. David gets up from the table he was at and had been drinking a cola soda at. He was not drinking alcohol at this time himself. He goes over to Aaron and places his hand on his shoulder. Aaron feels this and puts the drink that was in his hand down. He gets up from the stool and leaves the bar with David walking behind. They head back to the motel and the room._

_Aaron turns and says, "Now what, should I stand in the corner?"_

"_No, you can take your clothes off; I want to change your diaper."_

"_I don't think that I need to be changed right now."_

"_I disagree Aaron. Take off your clothes or I will assist you to do so. I am given you the chance to do so as an adult although I will say right now that is not how I view you."_

"_Oh, you don't see me as an adult capable of doing for myself."_

"_Not if you are the one who dressed yourself this afternoon."_

"_What's wrong with the way I dressed myself."_

"_You didn't fasten your diaper very well."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean that your diaper leaked and your pants are wet." Aaron looked down and felt all around himself and realized what David said and that thought made him feel anguish at the thought that he isn't even capable of dressing himself. His knees gave out and he started to cry out of pity for himself. David gave him a minute to do so and then went and lifted the man up and put him on the changing dresser. Where he removed his wet clothes and diaper and then took him back to the bathroom to wash down._

_Back in the room, David had Aaron sit on a moisture proof pad on the table while he got out a dry diaper and his sleeper. He turns and asks._

"_Tell me what happened with Angie."_

"_She's mad at me and thinks you should punish me for my behavior the last few days since you are my keeper right now. I am so tired of having a keeper and not being able to do whatever I want. I am capable to doing so."_

"_I agree, you are capable but you need to finish out this court order. Right now, if I had to determine your capabilities by your actions and emotions for the past two days, I would say that you not ready to control your life. But the judge will have other reports and statements of the past six months not just the past two days to determine your actions and whether you are able to make the decisions for yourself. Today, you made some bad decisions. You should be punished for them." David walks to the man on the bed and sits down beside him. He has Aaron bend over his knee and placed his naked bottom on his lap ready to be spanked. Aaron stoically lies there and braced himself for the first smack. As David smacks the man, he will lecture him about listening to others around him and that a good leader also knows when to obey. When the first smack came SMACK, Aaron bucked but David kept him down over the knee. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. David gave Aaron a smack for each year of his chronological age to show that even though he was supposed to be an adult. His actions, attitude and behavior for the past days were not acceptable for an adult to do. By the end of the smacks, Aaron was crying from the pain. David has him go to the changing table and put lotion on his behind and diapered and dressed the man into a yellow sleeper. _

_A knock reveals Derek at the door asking David if he and Aaron wanted to go out to the bar for a drink. David says no, that Aaron was getting ready for bed and David didn't want to leave him alone. They were not going back tonight to Quantico but would head out early in the morning._

_Derek asks, "David do you need some company." _

"_No Derek, go with the ladies. Why don't you ask Angie? She could use a night out."_

"_Thanks I will. Good night David. Good night Aaron."_

_Both men say good night. David orders in some food and the two men stay in and watch TV until Aaron falls asleep and then David goes to his own bed._

_End Flashback_

Back in the courtroom, our family sits there and continues to listen to what the witnesses are saying about Aaron. Spencer thinks about four days ago as well and wonders if he should tell mommy what really happened that night.

_Flashback_

_Mommy goes to the door and Derek is there._

"_Angie, the girls and I are going out for while to relax and enjoy ourselves. David suggested that I ask if you want to join us."_

"_I would love to go but I can't leave Spencer alone and I am not taking him out of the room tonight."_

"_Well, maybe we can get a babysitter for him."_

"_A babysitter? Well there is someone I could ask. Okay Derek, I'll see you in an hour in the lobby."_

"_Great, one hour then."_

_Spencer is just sitting on the bed reading and listening to this conversation and wonders 'babysitter'. Who does she know that would babysit? He says, "Mommy, I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself."_

"_Yes, we know how well you can take care of yourself. You wake up from a nap alone and go into the hall and scream for mommy. I will not leave you alone." She goes on the phone and calls room 308 to ask Janet if her daughter could babysit in an hour. Janet said that she would send her down. Spencer is listening to this and getting worried. He doesn't want a stranger to change him take care of him._

"_Mommy, I don't want this mommy. Please don't leave me with a stranger."_

"_Spencer, I was enjoying some time for myself in D. C. and then I get a call about my son being in the hospital because he got lost in the woods. I had to come out here and release you from that hospital because they thought you were a disabled child who needed to be with their guardian and only your guardian could get you. You are lucky that you had a guardian otherwise you would now be in the hands of the social services agency handling disabled adults and probably admitted to a group home and it would be difficult for you to get out then because you would been declared incompetent. There would be no more BAU or anything else for you. I did not enjoy getting that phone call telling me to come out here. I had planned to attend a play tonight with some of the other students in my literature class. Am I there? There are times when mommies need time away from their babies. This was supposed to be my time. So if you don't like the fact of a babysitter, tough. I am going out and you will behave yourself for your babysitter. She will be allowed to feed, change and dress you. I don't want to hear any whining about it." Angie goes into the bathroom to freshen up and dress for her night out. Spencer just looked at her sad and feeling guilty about making her miss her play. _

_Less than an hour later, there is a knock on the door and Angie answers it to a girl of about nineteen._

"_Hi, I'm Lisa and my mother sent me down saying that you needed a babysitter. She said that you had a big baby boy."_

"_Yes, I do need a babysitter for my big baby boy. Come in." She points to the bed. "This is my son Spencer. Spencer, say hello to Lisa."_

"_Hello Lisa." He says in a low and almost shamed voice. _

_Angie continues to talk to Lisa about the night. That she would be out about four hours and to let her know what her cell phone number is as well as the numbers of the other agent. She tells Lisa that Spencer would need to be changed soon but he won't tell her when so she will have to keep an eye out for his tell signs of fidgeting. When he begins to fidget is when he needs to be changed. She says that there is plenty of food for both of them to eat and that when Lisa wants to put Spencer to sleep, that a bottle and rocking would do just that. Spencer keeps looking at her telling this teenager to baby him._

"_Lisa, did you bring the game I asked you to bring and you do play?"_

"_Yes ma'am I did and yes I do."_

"_Good." She goes to Spencer and kisses him. "I will be back in a few hours, have fun with Lisa. I love you sweetie." She walks out the door to go to the lobby._

_Lisa looks at the big baby on the bed and thinks to herself what a sweet heart. He looks so cute and vulnerable sitting there in his bed in that adorable lilac and dark blue sleeper he is wearing. She smiles with what looked to Spencer like a wolf thinking how he was going to get into the chicken coop. She goes over to the table and gets out the game that she brought. Spencer looks at what she was doing and couldn't quite tell what game it was. She hides it from him in order to keep his curiosity up and get him off the bed to see what she was up to. She began to set the game up but he couldn't tell what it was unless he moved. His curiosity finally got the better of him and he got off the bed. He walked over to the table and sees that she has set up a chess game board. He squeals with delight and sits down at the table._

"_Can I be black?"_

"_Yes baby you can be black." He smiles at her, not really hearing that she called him baby._

_For a little over an hour they played, until he started to make some weird moves and to squirm in his chair. She notices and remembers what Angie said about his squirming being a sign of his needing to be changed. She gets up and goes to the changing dresser to get out his diapering needs and the lotion and rubber gloves that she brought with her. She goes back over to the table and moves his chair away from the table._

"_Hey, I want to play, it's your turn."_

"_I will play my turn after we change your diaper."_

"_I don't need to be changed, I want to play."_

"_Spencer, your mommy wants me to check and change when I feel it needs to be done, not when you do. Come with me to the changing dresser."_

"_No."_

"_Spencer, do you want me to give your mommy a bad report about you that you did not do what I asked."_

_He hung his head and said, "No" again. He got up from the chair and went over to the dresser to be changed. She came over and unlocked his sleeper zipper to remove the sleeper and place him on the dresser. She took off his rubber pants and very wet cloth diaper. She washed his front genitals and then had him turn over where she washed his bottom. Then she put the rubber gloves on and put lotion on her hands and started to spread it on the two globes of his buttocks. She rubbed and rubbed and then spread his cheeks apart and put the tip of her index finger into his sweet hole and began to moisten it and stretch the muscles. He was shocked by this and bucked when she penetrated him with the entire finger and began to move up and down stretching the muscles. When all of a sudden she removes the finger and then takes two of her fingers and penetrates with the whole fingers. She moves them up and down as she stretched the muscles._

"_Does this feel good baby, I used to do it to my older brother when I changed his diaper. He had muscular dystrophy and couldn't walk or be able to control his body functions. He always cried afterwards but I am sure he liked it, I know I do." As he listened to this, Spencer became more scared of this girl and his bottom was hurting very much as she did what she was doing to him. He started to quietly sob. She took her fingers out and then turned him over and put a thick heavy cloth diaper on him and put his rubber pants back on and then his sleeper. "Let's go finish our game now." He looked at her and followed her to the table where they resumed playing chess._

_Two hours later, he began to fidget once more and tried very hard not to do so because he didn't want her to change his diaper again but he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. She looks up and notices the fidgeting and smiles like a predatory animal. All of a sudden the door to the room opened and Angie came in. Spencer looked up and smiled and ran to her and grabbed her around the waist._

"_Well, thank you for the welcome, did you have fun sweetheart?" He looked up at her face of hope that he did and that she did the right thing in leaving him with a stranger and going out to have fun._

_He lied to her and said, "Yes I had fun." He did when they played chess but not when she changed him and he was glad mommy was home so that the girl couldn't change him again._

_End Flashback_

The gavel banged as the judge declared a two hour lunch break. Our little family gets up and head together to the food court. Sean chooses to leave the stroller in the courtroom but they do take the diaper bags with them since our boys will need to be changed. They eat in silence not sure of what to say to each other through the anger that is still emanating from Aaron and the bewilderment coming from Spencer while Angie is saddened by the actions of herself and Aaron and Sean is upset with Aaron. After eating they go to a blank room with a table so that they can change the boys. Sean does Aaron and Angie changes Spencer. After changing them they go back to the courtroom, Angie has Spencer lie in her arms and gives him a bottle while he goes to sleep for a nap. Sean and Aaron just sit there. Angie looks at her little boy and is thankful he is with her as she remembers two days ago at home when she, Aaron and Spencer after they got home from Wisconsin.

_Flashback_

"_Sweetie, I think that tomorrow we should go see Dr. Pitt and make sure that everything is actually okay. I know David said that they had to sedate you and I want to make sure that the drugs they gave you didn't make your problem worse. Dr. Pitt can do that."_

"_No, I don't want to see anymore doctors and I don't want to go to the hospital." She and Aaron look at Spencer worrying._

"_Why not baby? Did something bad happen at the hospital?"_

"_I woke up in the baby ward. I am not a baby, but David let them put me in the baby ward. When I woke up, I felt like I was in a cage. It was an all steel crib that they use for big babies. When I saw what I was in and there was nobody around, I called out and a nurse came in and put down the rails of the crib and started to change my diaper. I never had a stranger change my diaper before and I cried no and tried to get away. I asked for Uncle David and they said he wasn't there but they wanted to check my vitals and change my diaper. I said I wanted Uncle David and started to cry. They gave me drugs to sedate me and I said don't give me drugs, but they did anyway." Spencer was crying and Aaron grabbed him and took him in his arms to comfort the man. Angie got up to get a bottle which will calm down the man even more. Aaron begins to rock him and Spencer calmed down._

"_Mommy, I heard the nurses talking about me when I was in my crib after they sedated me. While they changed my diaper and they brought in a bottle of baby formula for me, David had told them that a bottle would calm me down if I got upset and to not upset me if possible. They wondered why a mentally disabled person like me was out in the woods. I am not mentally disabled, my problem is physical not mental. I am not a baby." He snuggles more into Aaron's arms, who is rocking him while Spencer drinks his bottle. Mommy and daddy think of him as a baby but don't say a word to him about what they feel and see him acting him like. They know that he was in toddler mode at the hospital. Mommy found him that way and David saw him that way the next day. When Aaron and David went to pick him up, there was a problem because the boy came up on a register of disabled people who needs a guardian. The guardian must be the one who picks him up and a substitute would not be allowed. David was very upset by this news, if he known, he would never have let them put in the pediatric ward but putting him there placed him under being disabled and needing permanent guardianship. If he had placed him into a regular room, the man might have been able to prove that he was capable and be able to sign himself out. Because of the disability labeling, he is not allowed to sign himself out or be signed out by anyone other than his guardian. They would have the same problem with Aaron if he was put in the hospital for any reason._

_Later that night, Spencer woke up crying because he had a bad dream about going to the hospital again and them never letting him out. Mommy comes and brings him out of his crib to hold him. Aaron sits in his crib watching her rock him in the nursery rocker. _

_After awhile she asked, "Are you feeling better now sweetheart?" Spencer nodded his head. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head no. "You might feel better if you do."There is another shake of the head no. She continues to rock him and he soon falls back to sleep with his thumb in his mouth._

_Aaron asks, "Do you think this will be a nightly thing?"_

"_It was for you for many months."_

"_Great."_

_End Flashback_

"How are you feeling Aaron?"

"I am fine Sean."

"Are you sure about that?" Sean looks over at his brother sitting next to him on the bench.

"I know that you think I probably need a nap or something like that but I don't need to do that. I just want this day and whatever the outcome is to be over. I am sorry about being a brat this morning."

"That's okay. I'm not the one with the sore bottom because of it. Although I didn't expect that on the first day I'm back, I have to spank you to get you to do what you are supposed to being doing. I still don't understand though why you acted so young this morning. It actually felt like I was spanking a baby not an adult man. Can you explain that Aaron?"

_Flashback_

_Early this morning, our little boy Spencer has another bad dream and wakes up the whole household. Sean comes in thinking its Aaron and is surprised that it is Spencer. He goes over and takes the boy out of his crib when he turns around carrying him, he sees Angie and she takes Spencer out of his arms and sits down in the rocker. Aaron is sitting up in his crib watching her take care of the boy. Sean goes over to his crib and asks, "What has happened Aaron?"_

"_We had a bad case and he wound up lost in the woods and we sent him to the hospital. He has told us a little about his hospital experience but it seems he is afraid of going back if he does that they will never let him out again. It is giving him bad dreams."_

"_How are your dreams?"_

"_Once in a while I have a bad dream, but I am doing better."_

"_Good, lay back down and go back to sleep now."_

"_I can't do that until Spencer…"_

"_Spencer is good in his momma's arms, you not getting your sleep isn't going to help him and you need your sleep tonight. You have a very long and busy day coming up and you want to be at your best."_

"_Sean, you haven't been here for two months and I don't need you to baby me."_

"_I'm not trying to baby you Aaron, just to make sure that you have a good day at the courts today. You are right, I'm not sure where you are right now and I can only go by what I do know, not what I don't. You need your rest."_

"_I want to stay up until Angie puts Spencer down okay Sean, please."_

"_It's against my better judgment to agree to that Aaron, so no. Lie back down now."_

"_Sean, why don't you get a bottle for Aaron, I think he needs his brother to rock him tonight. It might be help him sleep more deeply. "Aaron looks at her in disbelief. She smiles at him. _

_Sean takes her suggestion and gets a bottle, he takes Aaron out of his crib and goes to another rocker where the two brothers sit. Aaron lies down in Sean's arms and drinks the bottle offered him. He does not close his eyes because he does not intend to sleep until Spencer is back in his crib. The rocking motion and the suckling of the bottle soon calmed him down enough to fall asleep in his brother's arms._

_A few hours later, Angie came in the nursery to get Spencer ready for the day at court. Sean came in a little while later to get Aaron. Angie has Spencer in the dining room with his bib on eating oatmeal before Aaron is even out of his crib. Aaron is still tired when Sean comes in to get him and that makes him extremely cranky and obstinate. Even though he knows that they have got to get to the courthouse fairly early, he still tired and isn't thinking clearly yet, Sean begins to dress him in his diaper, onesie and then an oxford shirt, black suit and tie. Once again, Aaron does not like the onesie, it always made him feel like a baby and he tried to convince Sean not to put it on him; so far though he has not been able to keep Sean or Angie from dressing him in one. _

"_Come on Sean please don't put this on me. We want to show that I am not a baby, don't we?"_

"_The judge is not going to see what you wear under your suit. Of course I don't have to dress you in a suit; I could dress you in a top with a pair of red overalls." Aaron looks at him in scared shock._

"_You wouldn't."_

"_Stop complaining about the undershirt style onesie then. " Aaron jumped down from the changing table and goes to the dining room._

"_I am hungry Angie." He goes to her and grabs her. He gives her an extremely deep kiss._

"_Why aren't you dressed?"_

"_I am hungry."_

"_Clothes before food Aaron, that is the schedule, go back to the nursery and get dressed."_

"_I want to eat now." He sits down in his chair and waits for her to put food in front of him. She goes behind him._

"_Clothes before food." He looks up at her as she stands above him and blows her a kiss._

"_Hungry Angie, get me something to eat please."_

"_You need to get dressed first."_

"_NO. Food now, clothes later."_

"_Okay baby, I'll go get you something to eat." She looks at him with a worried look on her face as she goes into the kitchen. She doesn't see well through her cloudy vision but she sees enough to be worried. Sean also has been looking at his brother with concern. It is as if he wants to show the wrong face to the judge. _

_Angie brings in a bowl of oatmeal and places it in front of Aaron and then places his bib on. She kisses the top of his head. Aaron looks at the food in the bowl and makes a face._

"_Yuck Angie, I want eggs and potatoes, not this stuff. Make me eggs over easy with hash browns and bacon." He looks up at her with expectation._

"_This is not a café; you eat what you are given." She heads back to the other side of the table to take Spencer's dishes and take off his bib as he had finished his oatmeal. Aaron looks at her and then at Spencer as the boy looks at her and asks her if he could go play in the playroom until they leave. She gives permission and kisses the top of his head as he leaves the table. Aaron looks again at the oatmeal in front of him and smiles evilly as wicked little thoughts began to form in his head about how to get rid of the stuff. His tired mind was telling him to throw the stuff at Spencer as he leaves the room. He takes the spoon and flips a spoonful at the man and hits him squarely on the right cheek. He smiles smugly when Spencer jumps and then looks at him in wonder._

"_Daddy, why did you do that?"_

"_It was funny."_

"_Mommy, Daddy threw food at me."_

"_Tattletale."_

_Sean had seen what Aaron did and got angry but is not sure what he should do about it because he doesn't want to treat his like a disobedient child but isn't that what he is right now? He goes over to Aaron and picks him from his dining chair and takes him to his bedroom to talk to his brother._

"_What was that about?"_

"_I didn't want that stuff."_

"_You don't throw food at people."_

"_Spencer's not people, he is just one person, not people."_

"_What has gotten into you this morning? Do you really like being a baby because that is how you are acting? You are being a spoiled brat."_

"_Well, what are you going to do about it little brother?" Sean looks at him and decides that his big baby brother needed a good spanking for his behavior that morning. Maybe that will bring him to the adult that he needs to be today. Sean walks over to the man sitting on the bed and sits down next to him. He pulls him over his lap all the while Aaron is protesting going over his knee. Sean smacks him to calm him down to staying on his lap. Sean takes the wooden hairbrush that he had picked up at the dresser and began to smack Aaron on his diapered bottom hard and long. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. SMACK. Aaron squirms and starts to cry from the humiliation of being spanked again. Sean smacks him for a good fifteen minutes and did not count how many smacks he gave to this disobedient and willful child on his lap. Eventually he stops smacking the man and starts to rub his back in order to comfort him for having this done. He sits him up and holds him while the man continues to cry and soon stops sniffling and moves to get up from his brother's lap. He looks at him and goes out the room._

_Angie had cleaned Spencer up and he was in the play room on his rocking horse. Aaron came into the dining room and the bowl of oatmeal was gone with a bottle in its place. Aaron picks it up and began to drink as he goes to the nursery where Sean meets up with him and once again proceeds to dress Aaron in the black suit._

_After Aaron is finally dressed, the family goes to the van. Aaron goes to the driver's side of the van as he is the one who has been driving since Sean was in Hong Kong. Sean had placed the stroller in the back of the van and Angie harnessed Spencer into his car seat and got into her seat. Sean had the keys and goes to take his brother to the back of the van to his car seat._

"_Please give me the keys Sean, I want to drive."_

"_Get in your car seat Aaron. You are not driving today."_

"_I want to drive Sean."_

"_In your car seat now because next time I spank you it will be without your diaper on." Aaron is angry but gets in the car seat as his bottom was already sore and did not want to be spanked again so soon. Sean harnesses him in the bunting bag in the seat._

_End Flashback_

"You should nap Aaron until court comes back into session. You were very tired this morning and you still are. I am not asking you to be a baby. I am asking you to do what can help you be your best in front of the judge." Aaron looks at him and in consternation he agrees with Sean and lies down in his arms. Sean places a bottle in his mouth and the man is comforted enough to fall asleep quickly.


	41. Mommy and Daddy get Married

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

There will be some cross show in the meeting of characters from the show NCIS.

**Chapter Forty-One. **

She looks at herself in the mirror and imagines seeing her friend Kathy standing alongside her adjusting the dress and her veil. A knock at the door and Spencer comes in with JJ and Penelope behind them. David had gone upstairs to check on Aaron.

"You look beautiful mommy."

"Thank you baby, Kathy and I bought this dress twenty-five years ago. We used to imagine ourselves getting married in it, we weren't children but there were times when it seemed like we couldn't stop being little girls imaging our weddings."

"I think all girls and women do that," says JJ. "We just always hope and pray and dream of that especially with our best girl friends. You bought this dress before you had somebody to marry?"

"In our fantasies, there was only one man that we wanted to marry. Interestingly enough, twenty-five years later, I am actually marrying that man. Do you think he'll like the dress?"

"He loves you and he'll love the dress that you and Kathy chose." says Penelope.

"I'm just glad that Sean is allowing us to marry."

"Why wouldn't he allow it? He knows and has seen for over a year now your relationship and the love that you have for each other. Besides, by allowing you two to marry he will get to go back to Hong Kong." Says JJ.

Well, he is still Aaron's guardian and we need his permission to marry."

"Well, if the judge had released the guardianship, I don't understand why he didn't." says Penelope.

Spencer says, "I do." As he and Angie look at each other and then she remembers that afternoon at the courtroom.

_Flashback_

_It was five minutes before the end of the lunch break and people were coming back into the courtroom. Angie blew on Spencer's face to encourage him to wake up and sit up like a man. He slowly woke up and sat up with sleep still in his eyes but eventually woke up. Sean was doing the same to Aaron, who did not want to wake up but grudgingly did so and sat there still half asleep but slowly waking on the bench and becoming more aware of the world around him._

_For the next few hours, more testimony was given about Aaron's actions, behavior and abilities to perform. Eventually the judge said enough and wanted to hear from the man himself. Aaron came to the stand and was questioned by the attorneys and by the judge himself. He thought that he did well, but in actuality was young in his responses and not clear in his remarks of what happened during certain instances. The judge finally has him sit down._

"_Aaron Hotchner please stand. Mr. Hotchner, do you know why you are here today? Because I'm not sure that you do. You're actions do not show that you have gained back the level of adult consciousness that you lost a year ago. You seem young and unsure of what you need to be doing. You have given good performances in your job and the work skills that you have are still there and in full function but your personal performances are not in sync with what you are at work. I am permitting full responsibilities at work. You may once again wear your second gun at work and have full days of work up to sixteen hours in a twenty-four hour period. You ability to work is good and performance will probably continue to be great. Your capability to care for yourself is not good though. You are still diaper dependant, you are not yet fully weaned from drinking from a bottle, you have episodes of childlike jealousy and envy of people in your life. You seem to be clingy and not always thinking clearly about the consequences of your actions and decisions. In your job performances, you do well, but in your personal life, I do not see that you do things in your best interest. Therefore I am not releasing from guardianship at this time. We will schedule another court date for six months and hopefully you will show me more growth in your personal capabilities to making good decisions for yourself. Case dismissed." Gavel bangs and the judge leaves the courtroom._

_Aaron just stands there and his family and friends don't know what to do as he seems to have lost his case and is still under the guardianship of his brother. He turns and looks at Angie._

_He says, "You warned me when I was in the hospital that if I continued to do what I did, my brothers would gain control and I might not ever be able to do regain my life if that happened. I didn't believe that but you were right." He walks over to the stroller and gets in. "Let's go home Sean."_

_End Flashback_

Knock on the door reveals David.

He says, "Aaron is almost ready, when I got there though, he didn't have his pants on yet. Sean was putting on his tie."

"He probably didn't have his pants on because Sean doesn't want to put them on until the end."

"Why wait until the end?"

"In case of his needing to be changed before I head down the aisle to him, Sean can take care of it without undressing him."

"I understand."

"Good, then you can go check on Spencer and make sure that he is clean."

"But he is dressed."

"I want him to be dry and clean when he is standing next to me as my man of honor."

"Yeah, it is interesting that you choose a man of honor instead of maid or matron of honor, which you could have chosen.

"I wanted him in the ceremony, you were giving me away, Sean is Aaron's best man with Derek and William as groomsmen and Jack is the ring-bearer, Spencer needed to be on my side of supporting me. As my son now, he has that privilege of being part of that. Man of honor makes him perfect for it. We should be ready in just a few minutes would you please go check and make sure he is clean and dry and be careful, he is still a little skittish about people touching his backside."

"You never told me what happened to him to cause that." She turns at him and gives him a grim smile.

"You don't really need to know. Aaron and I are handling it and he doesn't need everyone to know about it, even closest of family and friends. Please understand it is his feelings that I care about in this case."

_Flashback_

_Aaron parked the van while Angie and Spencer went into the Health Center. They go to the clinic that Dr. Pitt is part of and Angie goes to the receptionist desk and signs in for Spencer as he goes to sit down. He finds a trio of seats next to another pair of federal agents from a different agency. When Aaron came in and saw where Spencer sat and who he sat near he came up and slapped him on the back._

"_Hey Gibbs, what are you doing here?"_

"_Hotch it has been a long time."_

"_Eight years since one of your seaman was killed by one of my serial killers."_

"_Yeah, it was a hassle of who had jurisdiction. I had one murder but you were trying to solve six including mine."_

"_Well, we worked it out. What you doing here?"_

"_I'm supporting one of my agents. He had a bit of problem a number of years back with pneumatic plague and when he falls in the river I like to have him checked out to make sure there in no recurrence. Dr. Pitt is his doctor on the case so we came here. Why are you here?_

"_Same deal about one of my agents getting caught in the snow and hypothermia on a case. I just want to make sure that he is okay and Dr. Pitt knows his medical history as well, so we come here. My fiancée is checking him in."_

"_Fiancée, what happened to Hayley?'_

"_We divorced three years ago. Oh, Angie, I'd like to introduce Leroy Jethro Gibbs with the NCIS."_

"_Hello, Agent Gibbs, how are you? I have heard about you from Agent Fornell and Directors Sheppard and Morrow."_

"_I have not heard about you."_

"_Good, you are not supposed to and who is this man with you."_

_Tony stands up and Gibbs says, "This is NCIS agent Anthony Dinozzo. Tony, this is Special Agent Aaron Hotchner of the BAU and Angie?"_

"_I am Doctor Angie Eskridge and it is nice to meet both of you gentlemen."_

_Tony says, "Nice to meet you ma'am, agent Hotchner."_

_Aaron says, "Well, I'd like to also introduce Dr. Spencer Reid, also of the BAU."_

_Spencer says, "Hi." All the men and Angie shake hands and sit down to wait to see the doctor. Gibbs and Aaron talk together while Tony and Spencer talk about different things._

_When the nurse finally calls Spencer in, Angie goes with him while Aaron waits in the waiting room. In the exam room, Spencer is weighed, his vitals taken and he is changed into a gown. A few minutes later, the doctor comes in and Angie explains why they are there and mentions that he had slight rash on his bottom that she wanted the doctor to look at. She goes out of the room to let the doctor examine him in private. When he comes out and takes her to his office to discuss what he found._

_Spencer starts to yell, "No." She starts to go to him and the doctor prevents her. The doctor has the nurse go get Aaron and he is brought to the exam room to stay with Spencer. She and the doctor talk in his office._

"_Do you know what has happened to him?'_

"_He got caught in the woods and got mild hypothermia and a rash on his bottom, are you saying you found something else?"_

"_He has scratches in his anus that is not consistent with what you just said."_

"_What!? How did he get those? What would that mean?"_

"_It means someone stuck something up him and scratched and tore him up a little. It happened just a few days ago, the scratches and tearing is very recent."_

"_What are telling me?"_

"_I'm telling you that Spencer has been sexually assaulted and I have to report it. He is on the disabled adult protection list and I have to report this."_

"_Yes, you do that right now." She gets up to go to Spencer. He gets up to stop her._

"_You can't see him right now. As his guardian, you are the prime suspect in the abuse."_

"_Brad, you really think that I would do that to anyone let alone my son."_

"_I don't think so, but the law says that I have to do so." She sits back down._

_Back in the exam room, Spencer is still lying on the table on his stomach, Aaron comes in and sees him like that and goes to cover him up._

"_Are you okay Spencer?"_

"_No, I want mommy and I want to go home."_

"_Mommy is talking to the doctor and we can't go home until they say we can. So let's just calm down and wait." He ruffles the boy's hair and sits down next to him. The nurses come in and take his vitals again. _

_The police arrive to check on Spencer, who begins to cry when he sees them. They take pictures of his behind and begin a case of sexual abuse. Officer Roberts begins to talk to Spencer about what happened._

"_Hello sweetheart. What is your name?"_

"_My name is Spencer and I want mommy here."_

"_We want to talk to you without your mommy here right now. Can you tell me what happened to you? Why your bottom hurts the way it does?"_

"_I will talk to you when you bring mommy in. She needs to know too."_

"_I don't…"_

"_MOMMY did not do this to me."_

"_Are you certain about that?"_

"_Yes." One of the other officers brings Angie in and she is told to stand against the wall._

"_Okay, mommy is here. Can you tell us what happened now?"_

_Spencer looks at mommy and says, "The babysitter did it." Angie looks horrified that she allowed that girl to do this to her boy._

"_Who is the babysitter?"_

"_Her name is Lisa and we were on a case in Wisconsin. I had a bit a problem and mommy had to come and get me out of the hospital, she was asked by Derek to go out to have drinks that night and she was going out anyway with friends before she had to come and get me. So she really needed a night out on the town. She had met a woman earlier in the motel that offered her daughter to babysit if mommy needed one. She decided to have the girl babysit for a few hours. We played chess for a while and then I needed to be changed._

"_Changed?" asks the officer._

_The doctor who had come in says, "He has a physical condition that prevents him from being able to control his physical needs and sometimes his mental condition. It is why he is considered disabled."_

"_Okay, so Spencer, you needed to be changed."_

"_Yes, I went to the dresser that is my changing table and she takes off my sleeper and removes my diaper and then cleans my front genitals and has me turn over to clean my backside since I had a small rash from being lost in the woods. I heard her put on a pair of rubber gloves and lotion squeezed out. She started to rub on my buttocks and then she (he cracks into sobs) puts her finger around my anus and then puts it all the way in." Angie sobs and starts to tear up for her boy, Aaron goes over to her and hugs her while also sobbing a little listening to their boy talking on the exam table about being sexually abused by someone who was supposed to be taking care of him. Spencer continues through his crying, "She moved her finger up and down and then took it out and then put two of her fingers in and I was crying. She asked if I liked it and said that she used to do it to her older brother who was disabled. She stopped soon and then diapered me and put my sleeper on and we played some more."_

"_Did she only do this once?"_

"_Yes, mommy came back before I needed to be changed again."_

"_Okay, do you know more about the name of these people?"_

"_No, mommy hired her and said her name was Lisa."_

"_Thank you Spencer, you have been very a good boy."_

_The doctor tells Aaron to diaper and dress Spencer while the police go with Angie to ask about the girl and her mother in Wisconsin._

_End Flashback _

David came to Spencer and told him that he needed to check his diaper and make sure he was clean and dry. Momma wants him to be clean before they head down the aisle. Spencer looks like he was about to bolt but he knew he could trust Uncle David so he permitted the man to check him and when he was found to be dry, he smiled and said, "Yippee. Can we get mommy and daddy married now?"

"Go get in position." He sees Sean and William with Jack coming down and wondered where Aaron was.

Sean says, "He'll be down in a minute. He's talking to Kathy." David smiles in understanding as he goes to bring Angie to the end of the aisle with Jack.

Aaron comes down and puts himself into position near the altar with his men; he looks down as music begins and sees Jack walk down and then his niece as their flower girl and then JJ and Penelope walk down followed by Spencer and finally Angie on David's arm. He looked at the woman and is grateful that she wants him. He feels that this woman is the woman he has been seeing in his dreams and fantasies for what seems like forever.

Angie arrives and looks at Aaron as the reverend begins the marriage rite. When they kiss at the end of the ceremony and look at each other, they know that the future is safe because they are together. As they turn to their family and friends and smile. They walk back down the aisle as a married couple and as they walk by Emily, Angie notices the grimace on her face and stops; she leans over and tells Brian that he needs to take Emily to the hospital now. Our couple continues to walk to the tree house where the reception has been set up.

The night moves on as our couple leaves to go on a month long honeymoon. Spencer will be staying with Sean until he returns to Hong Kong after the honeymooners get back. Emily has a little boy weighing 8 lb. 6 ounces and the world continues to go round for our family and agents.

Kathy is standing in the window of the house looking out over the reception to the tree house and gives a great sigh to see her best friends get married. She looks forward to watching as their family grows.


	42. Thank You

**Who is the Victim Here**

I would love to hear your opinions and look to working further on the story.

I do not own or have connection with the "Criminal Minds" program or its characters.

**Chapter Forty-Two. **

To all of my readers of this story, it is complete. I will not be writing on this story although I am considering a story of continuation but different from this story. There will sequels and more information about how our family lives. Thank you to all of my readers and keep reading for more stories of Aaron and the agents of the BAU written by me.

I am looking forward to writing more and keeping you entertained.

I love you for your comments and your suggestion and your loyal support. I love you all for them.


End file.
